


A Bond Eternal

by Nekomata58919



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Blood, Blood Kink, Bottom Daryl Dixon, Eventual Sex, Hurt Daryl Dixon, M/M, Mpreg, Top Rick Grimes, Vampires, dark topics, dubcon, it is a Vampire story, little bit, nothing too gross though, set after season 9, so sort of canon divergent, some original characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2019-07-05 02:06:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 36,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15854013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nekomata58919/pseuds/Nekomata58919
Summary: Alexandria is destroyed and Rick is dead. The group must move on, but will they be able to?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, and welcome! This fic came about when I heard about what's going to happen in season 9. As you might imagine I'm taking liberties, and things will be different than how season 9 will go, but it's not a complete AU either. I'll be posting this fic alongside another one called Wishing On A Star, just so you know.  
> Please enjoy!

         Daryl stared at the fallen walls of Alexandria as they grew smaller and smaller, before finally fading into the distance. He barely registered being jostled around as the truck bumped along the road; just enough that he tightened his hold on Judith. The sounds of the caravan were muted. Mosquitoes bit at his arms, but he didn’t feel them.

         Rick was dead.

         Rick was dead, and they were leaving. Nothing was left after the fight with the Whisperers. And with Rick gone—dead—the thought of rebuilding was too painful. Too much. Not worth it. They’d packed up, his motorcycle shoved into the back of another truck, and they left.

         Daryl watched as plumes of smoke drifted up into the orange and gray twilight sky. Neither The Kingdom nor Hilltop had been spared. He wondered if this was something that was always destined to happen. They find someplace new, and they destroy it. They try to make it work, they die.

         Judith looked up at him. “Daryl?” The seven-year-old whimpered.

         “’s okay,” Daryl soothed. It wasn’t. But he’d be damned if he let anything happen to Judith.

 

         Daryl didn’t know how long they’d traveled for, long enough to make it into Pennsylvania, but eventually they had to stop so they could sleep and eat. An abandoned fire department was as good as it was going to get tonight, it seemed. Daryl handed Judith over to Jerry and joined Michonne, Jesus, Rosita, Tara, Ezekiel, and Carol in clearing the place.

         Once they were sure it was safe, they set up a camp and settled in for the night. Everyone was quiet, even Jerry, and they ate their rations in silence. Daryl didn’t know what to say to inspire them to keep going. That wasn’t his thing and neither Maggie or Michonne seemed up to trying either. Rick would have known.

         “My friends,” Ezekiel spoke up, “I know this is difficult. We lost someone dear to us all. A good man who tried his best.” He walked over to the fire, to make sure he had everyone’s attention. “We can hope that Rick is in a better place now, and hope that we can find one as well. I know everyone here will not give up, because we are strong, and we can make it through this. And we can build a community for all, one that will stand against all foes, and know he is smiling down at us.”

         Daryl appreciated Ezekiel’s efforts, but he couldn’t find it in himself to believe they’d move past it. Even if that’s what Rick had wanted. It almost hurt more, knowing that Rick had guessed he wouldn’t make it in their fight against the Whisperers. It definitely hurt more knowing that Rick had wanted him to lead. To keep everyone safe. Daryl wrapped his arms around his knees. He wasn’t a leader. He couldn’t do this.

 

         The next day was more of the same; driving along back roads and abandoned highways, and finding reasonably safe places to rest. And for Daryl much of it was a blur. Until it wasn’t.

         Daryl was clearing a section of the repair shop the group had found when everything hit him at once, the numbness fading fast. He was never going to see Rick again. _Judith_ would never see Rick again. A sob escaped him and Daryl dropped to his knees on the bloody tile floor. Daryl curled over and his fists smacked against the floor, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. It wasn’t fair.

         Footsteps echoed in the hall outside, and came to stop at the door. “Ah, shit...” Tara crouched down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s Daryl! He’s okay! Well...not okay, but…” she called out to someone else.

         A lighter set of footsteps, then Carol’s arms wrapped around him. She didn’t say anything, but her quiet nonsensical murmurs were comforting anyway.

         Daryl quieted himself and wiped his hands against his eyes. He felt pathetic. “Sorry,” he said, not looking at either woman.

         “Don’t be. I was honestly wondering when you’d crack,” Carol replied, rubbing his back. She pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

         “Holding that shit in isn’t good, you know?” Tara added. She crossed her arms. “Just gotta let it out.”

         With a noncommittal grunt, Daryl pushed himself to his feet. “Do we have any idea where we’re actually headed? Any maps or somethin’?” he asked, trying to change the conversation. Daryl trusted both of them, but he didn’t want them to think he was weak. He had to be strong, had to keep going.

         “Actually, Maggie wanted us all to discuss that tonight,” Carol said, following him from the back room he’d found.

         “I found a map at that town-hall we stayed at last night,” Tara offered with a shrug. “I can tell ya we’re just outside of Gettysburg.”

         Daryl nodded. “Guess that gives us some options.”

         The three made their way to where the group had set up for the night. Maggie and Ezekiel were talking together when they spotted Daryl, Carol, and Tara. Maggie, who held little five-ear-old Hershel in her arms, smiled and gestured for them to come over as Ezekiel got everyone’s attention.

         “I think it’s time we discuss a proper plan. Now that we’re no longer in danger of what’s left of the Whisperers, we have to know what we’re doin’,” Maggie announced. “Findin’ a large space where we can build walls and crops would be best, I think.”

         “Yes. You’d mentioned before you had gotten books on how to build things such as aqueducts and windmills,” Ezekiel said. “If we are to build such things, a farm may be ideal.”

         “But we don’t want to be too far away from towns either.” Carol rested her hands on her hips. “We need to be able to easily find supplies and, if things go wrong, get out.” She looked at Maggie. “We don’t want a repeat of what happened at your farm.”

         Maggie nodded. “You’re right. That was too isolated.” She sighed and pressed a kiss to the mop of black hair on Hershel’s head. “A middle ground in this case is key.”

         “Tara mentioned we’re near Gettysburg. There’s gotta be lots of good places there, right?” Daryl said, finally finding his voice. It had been a while since he’d spoken to the whole group.

         “Ah, yes, Gettysburg would have many places we can use to our advantage,” Ezekiel said, eyes bright. “All the hills and old forts. So long as no other groups have taken them over, those would be ideal spots to stake claim to.”

         “We could make a real castle!” Jerry said with a grin. It dropped rather quickly into a sheepish smile when Ezekiel shot him a look.

         Michonne stood from where she’d been sitting on a crate, Judith in her arms. “There would also be areas we could turn into farms. If we can secure enough land, there’s no reason we couldn’t make it work.”

         “Sounds like a good idea then,” Carol agreed.

         “Alright, then that’s our plan if nobody has any objections.” Maggie looked over everyone, but no-one spoke up. “Good. We’ll get started tomorrow.”

         Daryl sighed. He left the group and leaned against a window. The night was quiet, only a single walker ambled along the road across from the building. It was good to have a plan. While it didn’t make Daryl feel better, he’d rather be working towards something than wander around aimlessly until he died. Even if death was tempting.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Air rushed into his lungs. Or it should have. Rick’s eyes snapped open and he gasped, trying to catch a breath that wasn’t there. He felt blinded by the light above him and quickly squeezed his eyes shut again. Everything hurt. Panic and confusion swept through Rick, and cautiously he opened his eyes again.

         The light still hurt. Rick brought a hand up to shield his eyes and looked around. He was outside, surrounded by trees bathed in a golden glow. Sunset or sunrise, Rick wasn’t sure, but the light shouldn’t be as strong either way. Heat prickled his skin and he managed to shimmy himself into a patch of shade. The heat and pain faded and he sighed in relief. Unfortunately, it also raised way too many questions, the main one being, “How am I alive?”

         His throat felt dry, too, too dry. Rick pressed a hand to it as he looked down at himself. He was covered head to toe in blood and guts. His clothes were ripped in places and Rick had been expecting to see wounds, particularly walker bites. But nothing. He was completely unharmed. That shouldn’t have been possible.

         Rick remembered shouting at everyone, telling them to run. He’d gotten surrounded by walkers and there had been no way out. They’d swarmed him and there had been pain. The last thing Rick had seen had been Daryl, Judith in his arms, as he was practically dragged away by Rosita. He felt a pang of guilt. They thought he was dead.

         Slowly, Rick got to his feet, using the tree behind him to help. Everything was still too bright, but he couldn’t just stay there. He had to find everyone. Rick stepped out of the shade and groaned as the heat started to rise again. The heat normally wouldn’t have been such a noticeable thing, except that it was spring and while there had been some hot days earlier, they hadn’t been quite like it was now.

         The clearing he was in was mostly empty, save for a pack he didn’t recognize lying a few feet away. Which meant someone had saved him. Or at least hoped to loot whatever he had on him. Rick staggered over to the bag and pulled open the flap. There was a walker face inside. The pack belonged to a Whisperer. Rick dropped the flap and backed off. He needed to get away while he could.

 

         Rick eventually made it to a road. It had taken longer than he would’ve liked, but considering he had no idea where he was...well, better late than never. And with all the loud noises coming from every damn direction it had been a wonder he’d been able to concentrate at all. Not to mention the fact that something smelled. What it was Rick couldn’t say, but it was strong.

         It took some time, but Rick started seeing things he recognized. And then he saw Alexandria. Or what was left of it. He clambered over the debris of the wall; everything seemed to take so much effort, he felt like had after waking from his coma all over again. The smell of smoke stung his nostrils and he had to clap a hand over his nose and mouth to keep from choking. But there was no smoke, not any more. Rick trudged through the rubble until he made it to the other side of the town. Tire tracks, faint but still there, led away from it all. They must have gone this way then.

         Rick followed the road. He wasn’t sure what else he could do, the tire tracks were his only lead. Hunger gnawed at him as he walked, but he’d never been much of a hunter. It didn’t look like he’d have much of a choice though. Unfortunately, he only had his gun and it was down to a single bullet. Rick hoped he could piece together one of those traps Daryl had shown him and catch a squirrel or a rabbit, hell, even a raccoon. Maybe if he could make a spear he could find a pond or lake and fish. That he didn’t have much trouble doing. However, Rick didn’t know if there were any of those nearby.

         Despite the fact that it was night, Rick found he was able to see without issue as he stepped off the road and into the woods. _Maybe the half moon is giving enough light?_ he wondered. Rick was looking for a good spot when a particular sound caught his attention among the cacophony around him. Had the woods always been so noisy? Rick’s nostrils flared as looked around.

         The edges of his vision clouded and it felt like the world narrowed and—like a camera—zoomed in on a bush. Leaves shook and a rabbit hopped out. Before Rick could think about it, he was moving. He lunged, snatching the rabbit up, and bit down on the rabbit’s neck; it squealed and went limp. A warm, iron tang bloomed in Rick’s mouth and he growled, biting down harder. It tasted so good.

         Awareness trickled back to Rick, and he dropped the rabbit in horror. Blood matted the brown fur around it’s neck, and he had to force himself to back up. “What the hell?” he muttered, licking his lips. _What the hell?_ Rick was both disgusted and oddly sated. He no longer felt hungry, his throat didn’t scratch. Strangely enough, the noises had quieted as well.

         Rick licked his lips again and felt a prick against his tongue. Frowning, he reached a hand up and pressed his thumb into his mouth. That was weird. His canines felt longer, and sharper. Rick yanked his hand away, eyes wide. He needed to find something reflective, either water or a car or a window.

         He searched for hours for any body of water that could be used, but found none. The whole day had been frustrating as hell, and he was growing more and more irritated. Rick made his way back to the road. Luckily, it didn’t take him long to find an abandoned car. It sat on the side of the road, a more damaged car tipped on its side in front of it. An accident then. There weren’t enough walkers around for it to have been a herd that caused it, though, unless it happened a while ago. Not that it mattered. The side mirrors were intact and that was enough.

         He ignored the walker stuck inside and crouched down to see the mirror. Rick took a breath, then opened his mouth. Two long, curved fangs, bracketed by four smaller fangs, replaced both his top and bottom canines. Rick jumped back. He had fangs. Something caught his attention and he looked back into the mirror. His eyes were glowing faintly.

         “This can’t be happening.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this early because I might be too busy tomorrow.   
> Please enjoy the early chapter!

         Daryl wasn’t sure at first, but as they neared Gettysburg, he felt like they were being watched. By who or what, he didn’t know. He chalked it up to not getting enough sleep and grief. Daryl knew those things could mess with you.

         Speeding along the highway would have normally felt good. But as they passed trashed and overturned cars, all Daryl could think about was that time when Sophia got lost, and after Hershel’s farm burnt down. When Rick was still alive. Daryl grit his teeth and blinked back the tears that threatened to spill. He couldn’t do that anymore, he wouldn’t allow himself to.

         It was a beautiful day. Warm, baby blue sky, spots of fluffy white clouds drifting lazily overhead. Bright blue signs signaled where they could stop for gas, or to eat at a McDonald's or Friendly’s flashed by. Then the dark green signs for the exits they could take for Gettysburg popped up. Some were a little faded, one or two had at some point fallen over, but it was simple enough to figure out their path.

         Trees soon gave way to open fields and historical houses. It almost felt like the world hadn’t ended. Like they would end up in town and people would be there taking tours and going about their daily routines. But the illusion was shattered by the occasional walker crossing the road or trudging through the high grass on either side.

         Daryl followed the others as they turned down a less well-paved road. He spotted several monuments and old canons stuck in the ground. Daryl kind of wished he could have visited before the apocalypse, but there was no use thinking about it too much. He noticed the trucks and cars slowing before coming to a stop at a fork in the road.

         “We almost there?” Daryl asked, leaning over so Maggie could hear him. He looked around and spotted what might have once been a restaurant, judging by the trashed tables and chairs with umbrellas scattered everywhere. The sign was nowhere to be seen, though.

         “According to Tara’s map, yeah,” Maggie called back to him. “Just making sure…” She swore. “We went too far. We’ll have to turn around.”

         After passing on the message to everyone, they turned around and went the right way.

 

         The climb to the top of Little Round Top was a long one, but once they reached the top, Daryl had to admit it was a great spot. He climbed out onto the boulders and shielded his eyes with his hand. “Shit,” he muttered. Daryl couldn’t believe no-one had set up a camp there, he could see for miles in just about every direction. There were houses and large open fields that, as far as he could tell, would be great for farming. It would take a lot of work, but it could be worth it.

         As the others got a camp set up, Daryl disappeared into the woods to hunt. He hoped it would take his mind off things. The night was relatively quiet, just a few crickets and the leaves rustling in the breeze. A squirrel chittered above him and he shot it down without a thought. Daryl plucked the bolt from it and grabbed it by the feet. He’d need to find more.

         Daryl returned to the camp with a string of squirrels slung over his shoulder. It wasn’t much on its own, but the squirrels combined with the few rations they had left would be fine. Daryl made quick work of skinning them and setting them over the fire to cook. He looked off into the distance and frowned. That weird watched feeling had returned. Daryl didn’t know why he was surprised about it here, though. It was an old battleground and probably haunted as fuck.

         “Tomorrow we should look around the area. We’ll need to make sure that if there are any other people living near by that they’re friendly, or at least not interested in bothering us,” Maggie said, leaning back against the stone of the memorial. She grimaced at the cold of it, but continued. “We’ll also need to find supplies. If we’re gonna make this place work we’ll need walls. So maybe we should have some people out marking a boarder?”

         “That sounds like a good plan,” Carol agreed, sending a smile to Ezekiel who nodded. “I was looking over the information stands,” she gestured to the plaques stationed in various spots by the memorial, “and there’s a group of boulders further down. We passed them on our way up. But they were used by snipers during the war. I think they could be useful in a similar way again.”

         “We’ll have to see ‘bout clearin’ the houses down there too,” Daryl said as he pulled the squirrels off the fire and started handing them out. “Maybe one of ‘em could be a hospital or whatever.”

         “That would be helpful,” Siddiq murmured.

         “I’ll go with one other person tomorrow to do runs into nearby neighborhoods,” Jesus said. “We can work our way out day by day.”

         Ezekiel clapped his hands together. “Then it sounds like we have a solid plan. But I think for now we should rest, eat, and take heart in the fact that we got here safely.”

         Later found Daryl staring out over the rolling green fields, Judith sleeping in his arms. He was glad she still had Michonne, and of course he would do anything for her, as he always had. Daryl sighed and let his head bump back against the wall. Just as he was slipping off to sleep, he swore he felt like he was being watched again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         “You should keep an eye out for solar panels on your run,” Maggie told Jesus as he and Daryl got ready to head out. “If you see any, we should plan on figuring out if we can move them here.”

         Jesus nodded slowly. “Okay, but will we be able to get them to work?”

         Maggie looked around, then spotted Eugene, who had been content to let everyone else figure out what to do. “Eugene!”

         He looked up. “Yes?”

         “If we brought back some solar panels, would you be able to get them working?” Maggie asked.

         Eugene blinked. “In theory, yes I could. But that would require them to be fully intact and having a place we can hook them up to that could work with solar power. If those conditions are met, I am fully confident in my abilities to make them functional again.”

         Maggie smiled and nodded. “Good.” She turned back to Jesus. “You don’t have to bring any today, we’d need more people to go and do that, just if you see any let us know.”

         “Of course,” Jesus agreed with a smile.

         They climbed into the truck, Jesus taking the wheel, and pulled out onto the road. A little while into their drive, Jesus spoke up. “I know you’re upset about Rick, and I get it, trust me.”

         Daryl saw the look Jesus sent his way. He frowned out the window, not allowing himself to interpret it.

         Jesus sighed. “I just mean, if you want to talk about it to me, or to anyone else, you can. You aren’t alone here.”

         Logically, Daryl knew that. But it still hurt to think about, let alone talk about. Still, he did appreciate the thought. “Thanks.”

         Their first stop that day ended up being the Lincoln Train Museum, which ended up being useless. Neither were the restaurants they passed. The Civil War Souvenirs & Collectibles ended up being good for t-shirts at least—so long as no-one cared about fashion. They marked off any inns to explore later. Daryl thought their biggest find, however, was the Wellspan Urgent Care. As long as it hadn’t been cleaned out, he knew it would be incredibly useful.

 

         It took three full days to properly explore and clear out the main town of Gettysburg. There weren’t many supplies left, but that didn’t mean nothing useful could be scavenged. Still, they would need to go further out. Which was how Daryl Jesus, and Rosita found themselves making their way into Hershey.

         They stopped at a large shopping center and got out.

         “You think we should check out Hersheypark at some point? Bet there’s things nobody would’ve thought to grab still there,” Jesus suggested as he yanked his knife from a walker’s eye.

         “Like what?” Rosita asked with a smirk. “Three year old chocolate? Broken down roller-coasters?”

         “Could use the wood an’ metal an’ shit to build our own stuff,” Daryl pointed out, finding his last bolt. “Might be worth bringin’ up to the others.”

         “Exactly.” Jesus grinned. “Hell, maybe we could even move in, if it’s empty. Who wouldn’t want to live in an amusement park?”

         Rosita shook her head with an amused smile. “Uh-huh. Nothing could go wrong there.”

         “Alright, ‘nough of that. We have this shit hole to explore first,” Daryl said, gesturing at the row of buildings.

         They went from building to building, looting them for any supplies they could find. Most were cleared out already, but the last—a Rite Aid—held a few goodies. Daryl was particularly pleased at his find of bandages and a last bottle of aspirin in the back. He snagged one of those singing cards for Judith to have fun with as well.

         As they left the building, Daryl spotted someone snooping around their truck. He silently pointed it out to Jesus and Rosita and they split up, surrounding the truck. As Daryl crept closer, the redheaded woman froze and slowly turned around.

         She drew a machete and held it at the ready. “Back off!”

         Daryl gripped his crossbow. “That’s my truck. If anyone should be backin’ off it’s you.”

         “Oh? And how do I know that?” the woman sneered. “You could just be saying that.”

         “Because I’ve got the keys.” Jesus, stepping around the truck, held up the keys and shook them teasingly. “So unless you want to deal with all three of us, I’d suggest you step away from the car.”

         Rosita rounded the other side of the truck, gun aimed at the woman’s head. “Unless you’re looking for a fight?”

         The woman held her gloved hands up placatingly, her copper eyes wide. “No, that’s not necessary.” She inched away from the truck, her eyes flicking between the three of them. “Just… I’m not used to there being others around here. I don’t want any trouble.”

         “You live here alone?” Rosita asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

         “No,” the woman replied. “I have a camp. There’s a good number of us.” Her tone was defensive, but truthful. “And is it just you three?”

         “Nope,” Jesus said. “We have a camp as well. Further out; we were just looking around. We’re not looking for a fight either.”

         The woman eyed them again, then nodded. A polite smile brightened her features. “I’m Addy.”

         “Nice to meet you, Addy. I’m Paul, but my friends call me Jesus.” Jesus allowed a pause for Addy to raise an amused eyebrow. “That’s Daryl, and Rosita.”

         “Nice to meet you all,” Addy said. She tapped her hip and looked around. “I could talk to the leaders of my camp. Maybe they could meet with yours? If you’re planning to stick around, maybe we could help each other.”

         Daryl exchanged glances with Jesus and Rosita. As far as he could tell Addy was being genuine with them. But there was something...off about her. What, he couldn’t say. Maybe it was that she was dressed in long sleeves despite it being much too warm for that. Or maybe because she kept tugging at her baseball cap, casting shadows over her face.

         “We’ll talk it over,” Jesus agreed. “If it’s cool, then we can meet here again. In a week? That should be enough time for both our groups to decide.”

         Addy smiled again. “Sounds good.” She backed towards the entrance of the parking lot and waved. “Be careful out there!”

         “She’s weird,” Rosita muttered once Abby had disappeared. “I don’t know if I trust her.”

         “I agree. But at this point we might just have to give her the benefit of the doubt,” Jesus said.

 

         A meeting had been called on their return, this time meeting in the farm house where Maggie, Michonne, and Aaron live with Judith, Hershel, and Gracie. Technically Daryl lived there too, but he preferred to sleep outside.

         “So this Addy want us to meet her group?” Maggie asked. “You didn’t tell her where we were, right?”

         “Of course not!” Rosita huffed. “We’re not idiots.”

         “I didn’t mean...” Maggie sighed and rubbed her temple. “Did she say why she wanted us to meet?”

         Jesus shrugged. “She said we might be able to help each other out. But she didn’t specify how.”

         Ezekiel smiled. “That sounds promising, though.” He rested a hand on Maggie’s shoulder. “Perhaps we should give them a chance.”

         “And have it end up like it did with the Scavengers? Or what if it’s a trap, and they’re just another group like Negan’s? Or The Governor?” Maggie demanded, her eyes narrowed. “I’m _not_ letting us make that mistake again.”

         “I have to agree with Maggie on this one,” Carol said. She pushed from the wall she’d been leaning against and placed her hands on her hips. “We’ve been tricked one too many times.”

         Jesus nodded slowly. “I hear your concerns, and I get it. But what if they do want to help?” He crossed his arms. “We don’t have to be stupid if we meet with them. We can have Rosita, Tara, Carol, and Michonne there as well. In hiding, just in case? That way if things go south, we won’t be unprepared.”

         “And if they do the same?” Michonne asked. “We don’t know their numbers. If there’s more of them, it won’t matter if we have five extra people in hiding.”

         Maggie opened her mouth to respond when shouting from outside stopped her.

         The front door swung open and Enid ran in. “Someone’s coming up the road!”

         “A person or a walker?” Daryl demanded.

         “I don’t know,” Enid said. “Looked more like a person, I think.”

         Everyone rushed out of the house and down the dirt road. Jerry, Aaron, and Dianne stood in front of the others that had gathered, all of them armed and ready. Except Gabriel and Nabila who both slipped into the house to guard Judith, Hershel, and Gracie.

         As Daryl made his way to the front he heard confused and surprised murmurs rippling through the crowd.

         “Is that?”

         “I don’t know. It can’t be, right?”

         “He’s dead, though!”

         Daryl froze as the group went silent around him. The man stopped as well, a few feet away.

         “Rick!?” Michonne dropped her katana as she raced past them all and threw her arms around him. Carol and Maggie weren’t far behind. Rick hugged them all back, grinning broadly. As he walked closer he accepted hugs from Enid and Henry, and even Jerry. Ezekiel, Aaron, and Jesus clapped him on the back and squeezed his shoulder.

         Daryl couldn’t get himself to move. But it seemed he didn’t need to as Rick stopped in front of him. Rick’s expression was strange, a mixture of happiness, guilt and concern. Daryl felt tears threatening to gather in his eyes, and instead of letting them, he rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Rick, burying his face in his neck.

         Rick was alive!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone reading this! Your comments and kudos make my day!  
> Also, if people are wondering, Judith is about 8 in this fic, Gracie is 7, and Hershel is 6.

         Rick hated to pull away from Daryl when he was clearly very overwhelmed, but he had to. Being so close to his neck was...dangerous—Daryl’s scent too tempting. He turned to the others as they crowded around him.

         “How are you here?” Michonne asked, wiping at her eyes. “You… There was no way out of that herd.”

         And that was the question Rick had been dreading. He knew they’d ask of course, but, he wasn’t sure whether he should tell them the whole truth or not. “I don’t know. I thought I was dead, but then I found myself in a clearing in the woods.” That was true at least. Rick had his guesses about what happened, but he didn’t know for sure. “I think a Whisperer saved me. Or something. All I know is there was a bag with one of those masks in it and I didn’t stick around to see if they’d show up.” He considered leaving it at that, but decided against it. It didn’t feel right lying to them. “There’s more.”

         “Like how you managed to find us all the way out here?” Maggie asked, her smile softening the slight accusation in her tone.

         Rick nodded. He ran a hand over his beard, the other resting on his hip. “Like I said, I don’t know exactly what happened but...I woke up changed.” Before anyone could ask what he meant, Rick opened his mouth wide, revealing his sharp fangs.

         A shocked and scared murmur swept through the crowd.

         “Are those… Are those fangs?” Michonne asked, eyes wide.

         “I think I might be—and this is going to sound crazy—a vampire,” Rick said, relaxing his jaw. “It’s the only explanation I’ve been able to come up with.”

         “A vampire?” someone gasped.

         “How do we know this isn’t some mutation of the walker thing?” another person asked. “That he isn’t here to eat us all?”

         “Silence,” Ezekiel said sternly, holding his hand up to quiet the people. “Thank you. Before making such accusations, you should think. If Rick were planning to kill us, he would never have made his presence known, let alone tell us about this _predicament._ ” He turns back to Rick, expression apologetic. “However, that doesn’t mean he might not hurt someone by accident.”

         Rick shook his head. “I made sure that I felt I could control myself before showing up,” he protested.

         “Wait, _before_ showing up? How long have you been following us and you’re just now showing us you’re alive?” Michonne asked, frowning.

         “Yes, well, as much as we’d like to be as certain as you, Rick, we can’t be,” Ezekiel said, tone patient. “I’d say if we kept a close eye on you for a few days, then maybe everyone would feel better.”

         Maggie nodded. “Those rocks Carol mentioned before could work. They’re far enough away from the group for people to feel safe, but we’d also be able to see you from the top of the hill without any problem.”

         Rick was surprised when Daryl stepped in front of him, hunting knife at the ready.

         “So, what, yer just gonna tie ‘im up like a dog out there? If he’s a vampire or whatever, the sun’ll kill ‘im!” Daryl snapped. “He just came back an’ you wanna just...” He growled in frustration.

         “No!” Maggie’s eyes widened. “Of course we’re not saying that, Daryl. There’s some shade, and we have time right now to build a makeshift cover, right?” She looked at the group.

         “Yes, we can have something temporary put up now,” Ezekiel agreed. “Jerry?”

         “On it!” Jerry said. He found a couple of other people and they went to get started.

         Daryl didn’t move, eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

         “Daryl.” Rick placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. If it will make everyone feel at ease, I’ll stay at the rocks. And while the sun does hurt a bit, I don’t think it’ll kill me. It hasn’t yet.”

         Daryl looked conflicted. After a moment he nodded and relaxed, sheathing his knife. “ _Fine._ ”

 

         Rick allowed his hands to be tied behind his back and Carol led him to the rocks.

         “I’m sorry about this, Rick,” she said. “But we need to be safe.”

         “I get it,” Rick replied, smiling reassuringly at her. He settled into the yellow grass beneath the small shelter that had been built. “How long will I be here?” Ezekiel, Maggie, Carol, Michonne, and Daryl had gone into the farm house to discuss the details, so Rick had no idea what the full plan was.

         Carol checked the lean-to for sturdiness. “Four days. For now. Maggie said it might change depending on how things go.” She looked down at him. “To be honest, I think this is ridiculous.” Carol tilted her head. “How have you been surviving though? Did you find people to…to drink?”

         Rick shook his head. “Animals. There was one time I could have fed from someone, but it didn’t feel right, even if they were dying.”

         “You’re you, even if you’re also now a blood sucking monster.” Carol teased, laughing through her nose. Her smile faded. “We all missed you, Rick. We’re glad you’re here.”

         Rick watched her go and leaned back against the boulder behind him. He wished he could have at least seen Judith, held her again, but he knew she was safe. Still, it hurt.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         That dry, raw throat feeling returned the morning of the fourth day. Rick idly flexed his fingers and stared up at the wooden roof over his head. Either today or tomorrow he would be let out. He hoped it was today, because he was starving and needed to find an animal to drink from.

         “Rick?” Michonne’s voice made Rick perk up. He hadn’t had a visitor since Carol left.

         “Michonne,” Rick replied as she crouched down and inched into the lean-to. “Is everything okay?”

         “Yeah, everything’s fine.” Michonne knelt in front of him. “I just wanted to see you. The others agreed that I could since nothing has happened.”

         Rick raised an eyebrow. “What could happen? I’m tied up.”

         “As if some rope would really hold a vampire,” Michonne said with a small smirk.

         “I guess.” Rick shrugged. His eyes traveled from hers down to her pretty russet neck. Rick snapped his eyes back up.

         Michonne leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. “I miss you, Rick. I wish they’d let you out so you could be with us all again.”

         “Soon, right?” Rick’s nostrils flared. Michonne smelled good; like citrus and the air after a light rain. His throat itched.

         “Yes, soon,” Michonne murmured.

         Rick closed his eyes and relaxed. That was good. As much as he understood their need for caution—honestly if the positions were reversed he’d have done the same—he really wanted out. He was so hungry too.

         “Ah!” Michonne jerked away, hand clamping down on her neck, eyes wild. “The hell was that?”

         “What?” Rick blinked, frowning.

         Michonne pulled her hand away. A droplet of blood stained her palm. “You bit me.”

         “No! I--” Rick shook his head. Had he? He didn’t know. Rick hadn’t thought he had, but maybe… “Michonne.”

         Michonne looked torn. Shaking her head, she turned and left.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         “Ya can’t do that!” Daryl moved to block the front door. “He told Carol he fed on animals and ya’ll refused to even give ‘im that! For three days! An’ now yer just gonna throw ‘im at the mercy of all those people ‘cause he barely bit Michonne?”

         “But that was the point,” Ezekiel said, raising his hands placatingly. “If he bites someone he knows and cares about after not feeding for even four days, then he could be dangerous to all of us.”

         Daryl’s lip curled in a silent snarl and he threw open the front door.

         “Daryl, wait, where are you goin’?” Maggie asked, following him out.

         “To prove he ain’t dangerous,” Daryl snapped. He stormed down a hill and across the field to the lean-to Rick was being held in.

         Rick looked up as Daryl crawled inside. His eyes were surprised, and sad. “Daryl? What’re you doing in here?”

         Daryl thrust his arm in front of Rick’s face. His brows were drawn together in a frustrated scowl. “Drink.”

         “What?” Rick blinked down at his arm, then up at his face.

         “Drink. Wrist or whatever should be fine, right?” Daryl said. “Ain’t gonna let those assholes think yer gonna hurt us when you wouldn’t.”

         Rick shook his head. “What if I do? What if I drain you by accident and you die?”

         “Ya won’t. An’ even if ya did, it wouldn’t matter. You could just grab Judy an’ go.”

         “It _would_ matter!” Rick sat up straighter, eyes stormy. “I’m not gonna drink from you if it could kill you. So drop it.” His last words were practically a growl.

         Daryl shifted closer. “No. We need to know once an’ fer all, an’ ya need to eat. Just go ahead already.”

         They stared each other down. Sighing, Rick’s gaze dropped to Daryl’s wrist. “If I start to drink too much, stop me.”

         “I’ll punch ya if ya get carried away,” Daryl promised, the corner of his lips twitching into a tiny smirk. He held still as Rick leaned forward, lips inches away from his wrist. A shiver ran up Daryl’s spine when Rick’s tongue swept over the thin skin.

         Rick closed his eyes, his pupils having dilated to the point there was barely any blue left, and sunk his fangs into Daryl’s wrist. Daryl had expected to feel pain, but there was none. Instead his arm tingled and buzzed, like it had fallen asleep. It spread up his shoulder and into his chest. And then it started to feel almost pleasant.

         Rick hummed contentedly as he drank from Daryl. And, before Daryl’s eyes, his skin seemed to return to a more healthy glow, color bleeding into his cheeks. His teeth buried deeper into Daryl’s wrist.

         “Hey, Rick, that’s enough,” Daryl said.

         Rick didn’t respond.

         “Rick!” Daryl smacked his shoulder.

         That got Rick’s attention. He released Daryl’s wrist, followed by a few swipes of his tongue to collect the last bits of blood, and sat back. “Sorry. Daryl, shit, you okay?”

         Daryl nodded. “’m fine. Was just gettin’ a little dizzy.” He looked down at his arm. On his wrist were four punctures where Rick’s fans had been, but they weren’t bleeding. It reminded Daryl of the needle marks Merle’s friends would sometimes have. “What about you?”

         “I’m...full,” Rick replied, sounding a little surprised. He licked his lips. “You taste delicious.” Rick’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry that—that was, well...”

         Daryl ducked his head, his hair hiding the blush he felt creeping up his neck. “Don’t worry ‘bout it. Guess I’d rather taste good than like shit.” He huffed in amusement.

         Rick chuckled, relieved. “Are you sure you’re fine? Did it hurt?”

         “Nah. Didn’t feel a thing. Ain’t even bleedin’ now,” Daryl said, smiling a little. “Yer not a danger to anyone, so long as ya don’t starve yerself.” He scooted backwards out of the lean-to. “Anyway, I’ll let the others know. They have no reason to keep ya here any longer.”

 

         Daryl held out his wrist. “See? I’m fine,” he said.

         Maggie hummed. “You don’t feel any pain?”

         “Nope. I told ya he wasn’t dangerous,” Daryl replied, watching as Carol ducked into the lean-to and helped Rick out.

         “You are alive and relatively unharmed. I’d say that is good proof,” Ezekiel allowed, smiling. “As much as I dislike you putting yourself in potential harms way like that, the results aren’t something we can argue with.”

         “But that still leaves us with the question of how he’s going to feed,” Maggie said. She looked at Rick as he rubbed at his newly freed wrists. “Animals aren’t always easy to catch.”

         “He can drink from me.”

         Rick frowned at Daryl, eyes wide. “What? No.”

         “Not happening,” Maggie protested.

         “Why not?” Daryl demanded. “Anyone else gonna volunteer?” No-one spoke up, not even Michonne who had been quiet the entire time. “Then I guess it’s me.”

         “I don’t want to drain you,” Rick insisted.

         “An’ ya won’t. Do ya need to feed every day?” Daryl asked.

         “No. I don’t think so.”

         “Then every other day should be fine.” Daryl shook his head. “So long as ya don’t starve an’ ya only drink what ya need, it should be fine.”

         Rick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are you sure?”

         “Yeah, I am,” Daryl said, crossing his arms.

         “Alright,” Rick agreed with a single nod. “If you’re sure.”


	4. Chapter 4

         Rick sighed happily as he hugged Judith close. “Missed you so much,” he murmured.

         “Missed you too, Dad,” Judith replied, clinging to him.

         Rick hugged his daughter tighter. “I’m so sorry it took me this long to get back. It’s been a crazy few days.”

         “Just happy you _are_ back.” Judith wiped at her eyes.

         Smiling, Rick kissed the top of her head before sitting on the rock outside Judith’s tent, which was next to Aaron and Gracie’s, and across from Maggie and Hershel’s. There was a nice big tree in the center which provided plenty of shade. “You were so good for Daryl. I’m proud of you.”

         “Wish he hadn’t taken me away. You were alive,” Judith pouted as she sat on his lap.

         “None of you knew that. He did the right thing,” Rick said with a sad smile. Daryl was always there for Judith. When Rick himself couldn’t be, he knew Daryl was, and that was why he had trusted Daryl to take care of everyone if—when?—he’d died.

         “Rick?”

         Speak of the devil. Rick looked up at where Daryl was standing, chewing on his bottom lip. “Hey. Something the matter?”

         “Hi, Daryl,” Judith piped up, smiling at him.

         Daryl shook his head and stepped closer. “Nah, just wanted to let ya know the others wanna talk to ya. When yer done spendin’ time with Judith.” He smiled back at her. “Hey, Lil’ Asskicker.”

         Judith giggled.

         Rick held back a sigh. “Talk about what?”

         “’bout what’s goin’ on here. Don’t know how much ya know from...whatever, but they figure you should be in the loop,” Daryl said with a one shoulder shrug.

         “Not a lot, really. I’d like to know how things are going,” Rick replied. He stood, holding his hand out for Judith, who took it eagerly. They walked away from the tents. “Judy, can you go find Hershel and Gracie?”

         Judith nodded, gave Daryl a hug, and skipped away through the field.

         Daryl smiled as he watched her go and let Rick pass him, arms brushing. “Yer warm.” His tone was mildly surprised.

         Rick raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”

         “Sorry,” Daryl mumbled, looking at the flattened yellow-green grass “Before, you were kinda cold. When you came back. Now ya ain’t. Maybe drinkin’ human blood helps.”

         It took Rick a moment to figure out what Daryl meant. He supposed it made sense, though. Vampires were usually considered to be the undead or living dead—but in a different sense from whatever walkers were. So when he’d hugged Daryl, he’d been cold to the touch. “Maybe. I don’t know how all this works.”

         “Didn’t mean nothin’ by it. Was just surprisin’ is all,” Daryl said with a shrug.

         They headed up to the monument on the hill. Rick was still impressed with just how much of a vantage point it was. Being able to see for miles was a huge deal, and if they could secure the place, the monument would help keep them safe. Rick hoped anyway. He knew they may never be 100% safe, but this was a good start.

         Ezekiel stood from the boulder he’d claimed. “Rick, good of you to join us. We have much to discuss.”

         “I’m listening,” Rick replied.

         “There’s a group we’ve run into,” Maggie said, shifting to perch on the edge of her own boulder. “Sort of. Daryl, Jesus, and Rosita met a woman from a group. We’re meeting with them in two days. Now that we know you’re...you, we weren’t sure if you wanted to go with us?”

         Rick thought about it, gaze traveling out over the hills. Of course he was curious, and he wanted to help, but he didn’t know if they were expecting him to take on the role of leader again. _It worked out so well before,_ Rick thought, internally rolling his eyes at himself. He looked back at the others, who were watching him carefully. “I’ll go.”

         Maggie nodded and smiled. “Okay, good. It’ll be nice to work with you again.”

         Rick smiled back. It wasn’t normal yet, but they would get there. He hoped anyway. But that was with them. Rick had a feeling he and Michonne were done. She hadn’t spoken to him since he was allowed back with the group. It hurt, but he wasn’t entirely surprised.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         They stood in the parking lot, waiting for Abby and her group to arrive. Daryl knew Tara, Rosita, Carol, and Michonne were spread out a good distance away, ready to fight if necessary. He really hoped it wouldn’t come to that. They’d all been through so much already, he figured that meant they deserved some good luck.

         Addy appeared not long after they arrived, alongside a tall, freckled man with shaggy blond hair, and a woman with bronzed skin and wavy black hair tied into a braid.

         “Sorry for being late. We got held up organizing a supply run,” the man said, stopping a few feet away. He smiled, tilting his sunglasses down to show off bright green eyes. “The name’s Jeremy. You’ve already met Addy, of course. And this is Maria.”

         “Hello,” Maria said with a wave.

         Ezekiel smiled back at the three. “A pleasure to meet you. I am Ezekiel. Addy met with Daryl and Jesus before,” he replied, indicating them both in turn. “These two are Rick and Maggie.”

         “You five are the leaders of your group then?” Maria asked, tucking a loose strand of hair back under her boater hat. Her deep brown eyes flicked over each of them, assessing.

         “Ezekiel, Rick, and myself are technically,” Maggie said, hands on her hips. “Though Daryl and Jesus are just as much in charge.”

         Jeremy nodded. “It’s nice to see another group around. You guys set up near by? We’ve made our base at Hersheypark.”

         “We’re pretty far from here,” Rick replied. His posture was unusually stiff, though his tone was polite. “Isn’t defending a theme park difficult?”

         “Surprisingly not,” Addy pipped up. “There are a few smaller groups around, but we outnumber them so they haven’t bothered us.”

         Jeremy shrugged. “Plus we tend not to bother anyone and mostly keep to ourselves.” He glanced at Addy, then back to them. “But, we know how valuable other people can be. Maybe we can set up a trade? If you have anything that is.”

         “We discussed that possibility ourselves,” Ezekiel said with a nod. “We are planning several crops and building up a farm.”

         “Metal is the thing we could really use,” Maggie adds. “Surely livin’ in a theme park leaves you with a lot of extra?”

         “We have our own crops,” Maria said. “And while we do have extra metal, it doesn’t exactly work as a trade if you have nothing to give in return.”

         Maggie frowned. “We have more than crops to offer.” She looked to Ezekiel, then to Jesus, who both nodded. “I have instructions on how to build windmills, watermills, and guides for refining grain, creating lumber, and much more. We really just need the materials. If you help us with the materials, we’ll help you build those things in your camp.”

         Jeremy, Addy, and Maria exchanged surprised glances. “That sounds pretty awesome,” Jeremy said with a grin. “Just to be sure, though, can we see one of the plans? We wouldn’t want to be promised something we won’t get.”

         “Just one?” Daryl asked, eyes narrowed. Things were going well, but something was still bugging him. Then again it could have been paranoia. He wouldn’t be surprised.

         “Just one,” Maria replied.

         “One sounds reasonable,” Rick agreed. “We can bring it over in a couple of days.”

         Jeremy beamed and held out his hand. “Deal.”

         Ezekiel, Maggie, and Rick all shook his hand.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Rick still forgot how much of a toll sunlight took on him. He felt so much better when the sun finally set on their arrival back at Little Round Top. A low rumble in his stomach reminded him of his hunger. He frowned at himself. The back of his neck prickled and he turned. Daryl was watching him. When he saw that Rick had noticed he nodded and parted from the group.

         Unbidden, the taste of Daryl’s blood rose to the forefront of Rick’s mind. He growled lowly. As much as Rick wanted to ignore his new instincts, he knew it was best if he just got it over with. He didn’t want to put his family in danger.

         Rick found Daryl sitting on a log away from the main camp. He sat next to him and already he felt compelled to pull Daryl close and sink his fangs into his neck.

         “Ya don’t have to worry ‘bout it,” Daryl said, lifting his arm. “I told ya before I don’t mind.”

         “I know. I can’t help but feel guilty, though,” Rick replied, clasping Daryl’s hand and raising his wrist up. Daryl’s scent, like a camp fire and the subtlest hint of something sweet, maybe caramel, curled around his senses, drawing him in. Rick had the impression those were his natural scents, since he could always distinctly smell the faint lingering of motor-oil and pine from the woods even before he’d become a vampire.

         “Rick? Ya okay?” Daryl asked, jolting Rick out of his thoughts.

         “Sorry, yeah, just...” Rick instinctively licked at the pulse point of Daryl’s wrist. A slight tremble, and then Daryl relaxed. No longer able to hold himself back, he bit down. Blood filled his mouth. The sharp iron flavor was quickly overtaken by the savory notes that Rick had enjoyed the first time he’d bitten Daryl. Unlike before, though, he didn’t feel so overwhelmed. He was aware of Daryl’s calm breathing, an owl hooting in the distance, the gentle night breeze. The blood slid down his throat, sating his hunger.

         Rick stopped the moment he knew he’d had enough, and well before Daryl would have felt any negative effects. He sighed, contented, and sat back. “Thank you, Daryl.”

         Daryl shrugged and pulled his arm away. “Don’t need to thank me.”

         “I do, though,” Rick insisted, tilting his head to get Daryl to look at him. “Not just for this. You stayed with everyone. You took care of Judy. You always do, and it just…it means a lot to me.”

         “Y’all are my family,” Daryl said, like that was all the explanation needed. Maybe it was.

         Rick reached out and squeezed Daryl’s shoulder. “We are.”

         Daryl nodded and looked away. “Ya think yer gonna tell Judy ‘bout bein’ a vampire?” he asked after a moment.

         “I don’t know,” Rick replied with a sigh. “I don’t want to scare her.”

         “Scare her?” Daryl scoffed, shaking his head. “Girl was gonna go runnin’ into a herd of walkers for ya. If she knows that we all know, then I don’t think she’ll care much.”

         Rick supposed Daryl had a point. Judith was brave and level headed. Hell, she might even find it cool that he was a vampire. Rick chuckled. “I’ll tell her.”

 

         Judith looked up from the book she’d been reading—found a few days ago by Henry—and smiled at Rick as he entered the tent. “Hey, Dad.”

         “Hey, honey. I know it’s late but I needed to talk to you about something important,” Rick said, shifting to sit at the end of her cot.

         “Yeah, sure,” Judith replied. She bent the corner of her page and set the book aside. Tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, she looked up at him expectantly.

         Rick sighed and clasped his hands, letting them rest on his knees. “It’s a bit of a strange thing to explain. I know you’re a big reader, and smart, but I don’t know if…” He shakes his head, trying to find the right words. “Do you know what a vampire is?”

         Judith hummed, biting her lower lip as she thought. “I don’t think so. What is it?”

         “Well, there are a lot of legends. More than I know myself,” Rick started. “The basic idea for most is that a vampire is, well, like a walker. Except a vampire is usually intelligent and only sucks blood. They don’t necessarily kill the person they drink from either. And not all stories show vampires as being bad, just, in a bad situation. Make sense?”

         “Sounds weird. So vampires are livin’ dead that drink blood...but aren’t bad like walkers?” Judith asked, making sure she understood.

         Rick nodded.

         “Are there vampires around or something too? Is that why you’re tellin’ me about them?” Judith pulled her legs up to her chest. “Do we have to avoid them _and_ walkers?”

         “Yes and no,” Rick said. “Vampires are something that exist. I wanted to tell you because I am one. That’s how I came back.”

         Judith sucked in a startled breath.

         Rick winced. “The others know. And I’d never hurt your or them, Judy.”

         A moment passed, and Judith shifted closer. “So…you hafta drink blood now?”

         “Yeah,” Rick replied. “Daryl offered to let me drink his blood. If it ever gets to be too much I’ll switch to animals only. Besides that and the fact that sunlight is annoying now, and I guess that I can run a lot faster, there’s really not much difference between me and other humans. I think.”

         Judith tilted her head. “You think?”

         “I haven’t exactly been a vampire very long. I’m still figuring things out,” Rick said with a chuckle. It died quickly, though. “Judy, I told you because there shouldn’t be secrets between us. I don’t want you to be scared of me, but I’ll understand if you are.”

         Huffing, Judith sat up on her knees and wrapped her arms around Rick’s shoulders. “I’m not afraid, Dad. You’re still you, even if you’re weirder than normal now.”

         “Hey!”

         Judith giggled. “I know you won’t hurt us.”

         Rick sighed in relief and returned her hug. “I’m glad. Love you, sweetheart.”

         “Love you too.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for commenting and leaving kudos! I'm so glad people are interested in this fic!

         Rick, Maggie, and Ezekiel met with the Hersheypark leaders as discussed. Maggie handed over a copy of the windmill plans.

         Jeremy grinned. “These are great, thank you.” He held them so Maria and Addy could look them over as well.

         “This will be very helpful,” Maria said with a nod. She looked back at them. “I see you didn’t bring more than your one truck with you. I suppose we can fit some materials in that, but not much.”

         “We were not expecting an immediate trade,” Ezekiel said, his brows rose in surprise.

         Addy shrugged. “We can set up a long term trade, right?” she looked to Maria then Jeremy.

         “Yeah, of course,” Jeremy agreed, hands on his hips. “This actually works better, since we have an idea of how much we can trade while still keeping enough for ourselves.”

         “How often can you come by?” Maria asked. She adjusted her hat and tilted her head.

         “I don’t see why we can’t make it twice a week,” Maggie said. “It’s a bit of distance for us to travel, but I think that could work.”

         Ezekiel nodded. “So, four days from now we’ll send some people over. Does that work?”

         Jeremy and Maria exchange a look. “Yes, I think that will work,” he replied. He smiled brightly. “For now, we’ll see how much we can fit in that truck of yours.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Daryl smacked his hands together, wiping off the dirt, and took a few steps back. The community bathhouse was finally finished. He’d volunteered to help put it together since, while it hadn’t been for long, he _had_ briefly worked as a plumber—among many other odd jobs here and there while he and Merle traveled. To be fair it had lasted maybe a week. But still, when it was only him, a man from Hilltop, and a woman from Oceanside who had any experience at all, it would have been stupid to not help out.

         “Let me just turn on the water and we’ll see if it works,” Bill said with a grin. The balding man stood and turned the tap on the bathtub. A quiet sputter, and then the water poured out. “Good! It works.”

         “It’d better,” Tabitha snorted.

         The bathhouse had been Jerry’s idea, surprisingly. Split into a side for men and a side for women, it wasn’t too difficult to do. Jesus, Aaron, and some people from Hilltop had brought in tubs, showers, toilets, and sinks from a Lowes, Sam’s Club, and Home Depot they’d found in the city of Hanover, walls had gone up, and now the plumbing was cobbled together. The fact that it worked was honestly a bit of a miracle.

         Daryl nodded to Bill and Tabitha and left the building. It was getting late, which meant Rick would need to eat soon. He rubbed at his arms and sighed. Despite whatever crazy numbing and healing abilities Rick’s bites had, they were getting a bit sore. _Maybe Rick could drink from my neck,_ Daryl thought, ignoring the not so unpleasant shiver along his spine it caused.

         At the very top of the monument, Rick kept an eye on the camp. He had taken to keeping watch up there on sunnier days where he’d at least have some shade, thanks to a canvas that had been put up, while still being helpful. Besides, with his newly discovered enhanced sight, he was better suited to it than most—even with a scope on a gun or binoculars.

         “Hey,” Daryl greeted.

         Rick turned and smiled. “Hey,” he replied, standing from where he’d been sitting on the stone turret.

         “See anythin’ interestin’ up here?” Daryl asked with a tiny smirk.

         “There was one walker. But it didn’t even head in this direction. And that was three hours ago,” Rick chuckled. “You’re a little earlier than I expected.”

         “Finished the bathhouse,” Daryl said with a shrug. “Dinner’ll be soon an’ I figured you’d rather have eaten b’fore that.”

         “Ah.” Rick nodded. “Okay, then.”

         Daryl kicked at a leaf that had blown over from one of the many nearby trees. “’S up to you, but, uh, my arms are gettin’ kinda sore. Guess it’s bound to happen after a week of chompin’ on ‘em. You can drink from my neck if ya want.” He squints up at Rick through his bangs.

         Rick’s brows furrowed and his lips thinned into a straight line beneath his beard. “Daryl, I don’t know how safe that’d be. If your arms hurt, I can just find a rabbit or something to eat instead.”

         “I trust ya, Rick,” Daryl said.

         “You sure you’re alright with this? You’ve never really been one for a lot of physical contact,” Rick asked, hands on his hips.

         Instead of answering, Daryl tipped his head to the side, exposing his neck. He couldn’t work up the nerve to tell Rick that he didn’t mind physical contact if it was from him. Made him sound like some kind of… “I told ya b’fore that if ya got outta hand I’d punch ya. Don’t worry so much about it.”

         Rick’s eyes were glued to his neck. He approached quietly, cautiously, as though going too fast would make Daryl change his mind. “If you’re sure.”

         “I am.” Daryl tried to keep his breathing under control as Rick’s hand slid around his waist. Rick tugged him closer, palm pressing lightly in the center of his back. Daryl’s hands twitched at his sides. He chewed on his bottom lip and rested them on Rick’s arms. The gentle glide of Rick’s tongue against his neck had him biting back the soft moan that wanted to escape. And then Rick’s fangs sank into his skin.

         Rick growled low in his throat. Daryl felt the faint vibrations from it in his skin and against his chest. It all felt... _too_ good. Daryl sighed, his legs growing weak, and he had to lean fully against Rick to keep himself up. Rick’s arms wrapped around him, holding him close. Daryl’s eyes fell shut. It felt like every concern he had just disappeared, leaving him relaxed and faintly aroused.

         And then it was over.

         “Daryl… You okay?” Rick asked, tilting his head to look at him.

         Daryl nodded, though it took a couple of seconds for him to pull back. “’m fine.” He was. More than fine, actually. But Rick didn’t need to know that. “I’m gonna go hunt.”

         Rick raised an eyebrow. “You sure you should do that so soon? Maybe you should wait a minute,” he suggested.

         “Quit yer worryin’, I told ya I’m fine,” Daryl said, shaking his head. He headed down the spiral stairs, the footsteps behind him telling him that Rick was following.

         “I know, I know. Sorry. I just don’t want to hurt you, Daryl,” Rick told him, stopping at the bottom of the stairs.

         Daryl ducked his head, his hair hiding the blush that threatened to spread across his cheeks. He opened and closed his mouth. Unable to find the right words, Daryl gave a nod and left.

 

         Rick looked over the beginnings of the walls that were being built from where he sat beside Judith, Daryl, Michonne, Jesus, and Aaron. What metal and wood they’d been able to scrounge up so far had been built on the stone walls that had previously existed. Once they got the added materials from the Hersheypark group, they might be able to get a fence about a mile wide in all directions. At least, that was the hope. Especially since a pond had been found about five minutes away from Little Round Top.

         “We should think about buildin’ houses soon,” Maggie announced, looking around at the large group. “Winter won’t be like it was further south, and we’ll need better shelter than tents.”

         Jesus cleared his throat. “Actually, I’d been thinking about that myself. I had a few ideas,” he said.

         “Go on,” Ezekiel encouraged.

         “I was thinking we might want to look for prefabricated homes. Maybe trailer homes as well, like we had back at Hilltop. Not only that, but I know that Before there was a trend beginning for tiny homes. Many of those were pre-made as well,” Jesus explained. “While we might be able to build larger homes eventually, I think those might be best to start with.”

         “That’s good thinking,” Carol said with a smile. “It would help us save on wood. There were barns on the way to Gettysburg. It might be possible to take one of them down and rebuild it over here; we’ll need something to house livestock if we’re going to make this place a permanent home.”

         Ezekiel beamed and kissed her cheek. “An excellent idea, Carol.”

         Rick leaned forward against his knees. “We should also figure out if we’re going to continue trade with the Hersheypark group once this is done. It might be good to build a relationship with them further, just in case either of us were to run into trouble with any other groups that exist. They mentioned others before, and yes they said they didn’t cause problems, that doesn’t mean another might not show up one day.”

         A murmur of agreement spread through the group.

         “I guess it would depend on how this trade goes,” Maggie replied. “If they follow through, then sure. Otherwise there’d be no point.”

         Rick nodded. The rest of the discussion faded into the background as he watched his family. It wasn’t Alexandria, it never would be. As long as he had his family, he didn’t care where they were. But they would make this place home. With new memories. Happier memories.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Daryl couldn’t help the little smile that tugged at the corner of his lips when he looked over at Rick in the driver’s seat. He turned his gaze back out the window, content to listen to Rick hum some song he didn’t recognize. It was a cloudy day, which was why Rick had volunteered to go. Otherwise it was pleasant out, nice and warm, a soft breeze that promised rain.

         “I’m surprised you didn’t argue to bring anyone else along,” Rick said, turning onto a back road.

         “Don’t need anyone else. You were pretty strong b’fore becomin’ a vampire, an’ I can do my fair share, even if I’m only human” Daryl replied with a smirk. “An’ if we run into trouble, again, yer a vampire an’ I got my crossbow. ‘sides, we need the others to keep clearin’ out the towns and stuff.”

         Rick chuckled. “Makes sense.” He looked at him out of the corners of his eyes. “You expecting trouble, then?”

         Daryl shrugged. “Always expect trouble. That way I don’t gotta worry ‘bout bein’ surprised if it happens.” He chewed on his thumbnail. Shifting in his seat, he propped his boots up on the dashboard.

         “How are you not constantly stressed from that?” Rick asked, brows crinkled into a concerned frown.

         “At home it’s different,” Daryl said.

         Rick smiled. “Already considering that home?”

         Daryl grunted and shrugged again. Honestly, he considered anywhere with Rick and Judith home. The details were just that—details. “It’s gonna be,” he finally settled on.

         Rick nodded. “It will.”

         They came to a stop in the usual place and climbed out of the large truck. Daryl rounded the truck and frowned.

         Jeremy was waiting for them, but with three other people they hadn’t seen before. “Just you two, is it?” he asked with that ever present smile, hands on his hips.

         “Didn’t see the need to bring a whole team to just drive the truck,” Rick replied.

         Daryl’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t look like we needed ‘em either. Where’s the metal?”

         “That is a good question, Daryl,” Jeremy said, tone dripping with condescension. “We didn’t bring it.”

         One moment Daryl was reaching for his crossbow, the next his face was being pushed into the ground. He grunted and hissed in pain, struggling against the hands that hauled him across the pavement.

         “Daryl!” Rick shouted.

         Daryl was flipped over and he could see Jeremy’s people pointing their guns at Rick, keeping him from helping. He kicked and jerked his body, but Jeremy’s grip was inhumanly strong.

         “Calm down, man, you’re only going to make it worse for yourself. And your friend.” Jeremy shook him like a rag doll.

         Dizzy and with his neck now hurting from the whiplash, Daryl slumped in his grasp.

         “There we go.”

         “Let him go!” Rick snarled.

         Jeremy ignored him and bit into his own wrist, fangs slicing into the skin easily. He pinned Daryl down with his knees and, forcing his mouth open with one hand, he pressed his bleeding wrist to his lips.

         Daryl had no choice but to let the blood invade his mouth. It seeped over his tongue and down his throat. He had to fight back his first instinct to bite Jeremy’s arm to get him to let go; that would only make it worse. Clawing at him did no good either.

         “Almost there,” Jeremy crooned, smearing the blood over Daryl’s lips until they stained crimson.

         Groaning, Daryl went limp. The edges of his vision blurred and bled scarlet. The sounds of shouting and snarling were distant as pain ripped through his body. Then there was screaming. Awful, bloody-murder screaming. It took Daryl a second to realize it was coming from him. He writhed. Tearing at the ground, his hair, his skin, anything his hands could reach, Daryl sobbed. _Too much, too much, too much._

         “Shit!”

         Daryl cried out as his hands were pinned down again. He couldn’t see. Everything hurt. His heart beat so hard Daryl was sure it would explode from his chest. Daryl’s breath left him and he froze up.

          _“Daryl!”_

         Then nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

         Rick clutched Daryl’s body to his chest. Daryl was dead. Daryl was dead and it was his fault. He hadn’t been able to stop Jeremy from doing whatever it was he’d done, had barely managed to chase him and his group off, and now… Rick sobbed, burying his face in Daryl’s hair.

         A twitch of a hand. Then a rattling breath. Daryl’s eyes flew open with a gasp.

         “Daryl!” Rick shifted so he could see him.

         The pitch black of Daryl’s eyes shrunk until they were their normal blue, pupils now slit ever so slightly. “...Rick?”

         “Yeah, it’s me, I’m here. _Fuck,_ Daryl, I thought I’d lost—thought you’d died,” Rick babbled, brushing Daryl’s hair out of his face. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

         Daryl blinked at him, gaze still a little hazy. “Why the fuck’s it so hot out?”

         Rick frowned. “Huh?”

         “Shit,” Daryl groaned, flinching. “Fuck, my stomach...”

         Whatever was going on, Rick needed to get them out of the open. He’d been too distraught before to even think of it. Rick lifted Daryl into his arms as he stood. The only real option was the truck. “Hold on a sec,” he muttered, balancing Daryl as he opened the passenger side door. Easing him into the seat, Rick noticed something. Daryl’s scent had changed. Not a lot, but it was almost...sweeter. He shook his head and shut the door before climbing into the driver’s seat.

         Daryl pressed his hands to his eyes. “Feel so weird.”

         “In what way?” Rick asked, unable to stop looking away from the road and at Daryl every five seconds. He’d thought that maybe Jeremy had drained him of blood at first, with how pale Daryl had gotten, but now he wasn’t sure. Had he just drank enough to make him pass out?

         “Everythin’s so damn noisy! My throat feels like goddamn sandpaper, an’ my guts feel like they’re tryin’ to escape my body,” Daryl said, groaning again. His hands dropped from his face to his stomach.

         That was weird. Rick didn’t think that had anything to do with blood loss. “Wait...” He frowned. It was too noisy and Daryl’s throat was dry. That sounded familiar. He stopped the truck. “Daryl, I need you to open your mouth.”

         Daryl turned, looking at him as thought he’d grown another head. After a second or two, though, he opened his mouth.

         And just as Rick had thought, there were four, small, curved fangs instead of canines with two slightly sharper teeth next to the front ones. “You’re a vampire.”

         Daryl’s mouth snapped shut. He flipped down the visor and looked into the mirror, opening his mouth once again. “How… That bastard turned me!” Daryl prodded at his new fangs. “Shit, is that why he made me drink his damn blood?”

         “ _That’s_ what he did?”

         “Yeah...” Daryl pushed the visor back up, frowning.

         Rick pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Well, we can’t go back to camp immediately. You need to drink first.”

         Daryl nodded. “Soon as we hit woods, I’ll do that.”

         “Should’ve known that wouldn’t freak you out,” Rick chuckled, starting up the truck again.

         “No point in freakin’ out. ‘sides, thanks to you, I know what’s goin’ on with me,” Daryl replied with a shrug. “An’ it ain’t like I never had raw meat b’fore.”

         As he drove, Rick couldn’t keep from wondering about the pain Daryl had mentioned. He didn’t remember feeling anything like that himself. Then again he didn’t know how long he’d been out, or dead, before he woke up a vampire and he might have missed it entirely. “You still in pain?”

         “It’s fadin’ a bit,” Daryl said. He snorted. “Made me think of when the girls would say similar shit, ya know? _Tch,_ never gonna understand how they ain’t bellyachin’ ‘bout it all the damn time when it happens.”

         Rick laughed. “Should I share that with them or should I let you do that?” he teased.

         “Hell no! That’s stayin’ between you an’ me. Fuckin’ pain’s makin’ me crazy.” Daryl shook his head.

         “Sure, if you say so,” Rick said with a smirk. If Daryl was able to joke then he was doing well enough. Still, Rick couldn’t help but worry.

 

         Rick pulled over the moment he spotted a good expanse of woods. “I know you’ll probably be fine hunting on your own, but I’m gonna tag along anyway,” he said as Daryl got out.

         Daryl shrugged. “If ya want.” He picked up his crossbow from where he’d rested it under the dashboard and stalked into the trees. Rick followed close behind. Daryl glanced back at him. “Ya got any tips or anythin’?”

         “I don’t know if I’d call it a tip, but I remember being able to hunt down animals without a weapon, if that helps,” Rick replied, ducking under a low branch. “And I could tell what animals were safe to eat by smell.”

         “Hm. I guess,” Daryl grunted as he weaved around some bushes. He froze. His nostrils flared and Rick watched him take off, silent and so fast he was nearly a blur.

         Rick smelled something a few moments later, and he wondered if it was because he’d fed earlier. He sped off, following Daryl’s scent until he caught up with him. Daryl’s eyes were closed as he drained the blood from a possum. His crossbow lay a little ways away, partially hidden under a bush where it had been dropped.

         The growling of a walker caught Rick’s attention. Daryl was still feeding and didn’t seem to have noticed. Rick took out his knife and crept through the underbrush. Becoming a vampire had at least two major advantages: he was a lot quieter than he used to be and a lot faster. There were three walkers staggering around the woods. Rick managed to stab all three in the back of the head before they became aware of his presence.

         Rick wiped the blood off on his jeans and made his way back to Daryl. He’d noticed before that walker blood had absolutely no appeal to him. Even when he’d been starving. Rick was honestly grateful for that. Maybe it was because they were dead, even if they walked around.

         Daryl was crouching by his crossbow, possum in one hand, when Rick returned. “Where’d ya go?” he asked, tone carefully neutral.

         “Sorry, I heard walkers. Figured I’d take care of ‘em before they became a problem,” Rick replied. “How are you feeling?”

         “Better,” Daryl said, standing. He slung his crossbow over his shoulder. “Figured if I cut around the neck, the possum might still be good to eat.”

         Rick chuckled. Of course Daryl wouldn’t waste meat like that. “I don’t know enough to say it wouldn’t. So good thinking.”

         Daryl rolled his eyes and smirked. “C’mon. Let’s get back.” His expression turned serious. “We’ve gotta tell the others that the Hershypark people are vampires.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Nerves tensed Daryl’s shoulders as he and Rick made their way up the hill to the camp. He didn’t think they would push him away, that wasn’t the issue. The issue was, how would they eat? Rick couldn’t drink from Daryl now that he was a vampire himself.

         “You’re back!” Maggie spotted them first, her smile was relieved. “You two were gone long enough I was about to send someone for you.”

         Daryl figured the best thing to do would be to just get to the point. “The people from Hersheypark are vampires. At least some of ‘em are. Jeremy is.”

         “Did they attack you?” Carol asked, standing from the rock she’d been resting against.

         Rick looked at Daryl, clearly indicating he should be the one to tell them what happened.

         Daryl nodded. “Three of ‘em kept Rick from interferin’. Jeremy attacked me and...turned me. I’m a vampire now.” He opened his mouth and pointed at the fangs. He crossed his arms and frowned. “An’ no, we didn’t get the metal.”

         “How did that happen?” Jesus asked with a frown. “Rick’s bitten you multiple times and you haven’t turned before.”

         “A bite won’t change ya,” Daryl said, ignoring how Jesus’ statement made him want to blush. He chewed his lower lip, being careful of his new fangs. “If ya drink vampire blood, then ya turn. Hurts like a sonovabitch too.”

         “So. We’re going to have to do something about those people,” Michonne said. She crossed her arms. “We obviously can’t just let this slide. You two were attacked.”

         Maggie sighed and rubbed her temple. “But we have no idea how many are in that group, and how many can fight. Not only that, they’re _vampires._ If we try to stake the place out, they may know we’re there before we can do anything.”

         “And that’s not the only thing we need to think about,” Carol pointed out. “What are Rick and Daryl going to eat?”

         “We can drink from animals,” Daryl said. “It’s pretty much the only option.”

         Enid, who’d been listening quietly the whole time, stood. “Wait, I thought human blood was better for you? Made it so you didn’t have to feed as much?”

         Rick nodded. “That’s true, but like Daryl said, we don’t have a choice.”

         “What if we took blood from volunteers?”

         Daryl frowned. He hadn’t know Siddiq was even there. But he was.

         “What do you mean?” Rick asked.

         Siddiq looked around the group. “Well, like blood bags, for transfusions. If we draw blood from people who volunteer, even if it’s only a little bit, we might be able to create a store of blood for you both.”

         “That’s a great idea, we should’ve thought of it before,” Maggie said with a relieved smile.

         “Only if people do volunteer,” Daryl remarked. “Ain’t gonna force people to give us their blood.”

         “Of course,” Siddiq said. “And definitely not from anyone under eighteen.”

         Rick looked at Daryl. “I can’t say I feel entirely comfortable with it, but it does seem like a better option.”

         Daryl nodded. It did. And they did have the equipment for it. “Alright.”

         Siddiq smiled. “I’ll get on it in the morning, then. Talk to people, get everything ready. It might take a while to get enough, so you probably will need to drink from animals for a short time.”

         As the group dispersed, Daryl couldn’t help but feel strange. He was a little tired, but also he felt...energized.

         “I know it’s annoying, but I’m asking again. Are you okay, Daryl?” Rick asked, walking beside him.

         “Fine. Just a little weird,” Daryl said, rolling his eyes. And there were those conflicting feelings again. He didn’t want Rick to be concerned, he wasn’t weak. But Daryl also appreciated that Rick cared.

         “Dad! Daryl!” Judith darted from the tents and threw her arms around Rick, and then Daryl.

         “What are you doing up?” Rick asked, arching an eyebrow.

         Judith pouted up at them. “You were gone too long. I couldn’t sleep. Anyway, it’s not _that_ late.” She placed her hands on her hips and frowned up at them. “What took so long?”

         Daryl bit back a snort. She looked so much like Rick when she did that.

         “Just got held up,” Rick replied, patting her hair. When she didn’t let up her scowl, he sighed. “I guess you’ll find out eventually. Daryl was turned.”

         Judith’s eyes widened. “You’re a vampire?” she asked. “Oh! Do you have fangs too?”

         “Yep,” Daryl said with a small smile.

         “Well lemme _see!_ ” Judith demanded.

         Daryl shook his head and crouched down to her level. He opened his mouth.

         “Cool!” Judith beamed. “I wanna have fangs too. Can I be a vampire?”

         “Absolutely not!”

         “No!”

         Rick and Daryl exchanged a look. “I’m sorry, Judy. Just, no. Turning is not something I’m going to put you through,” Rick said.

         “’sides. You really wanna drink nothin’ but blood?” Daryl asked, raising an eyebrow. “Never be able to eat candy or spaghetti?”

         Judith gasped. “You guys can’t eat spaghetti?”

         “Nope,” Daryl said seriously.

         “Never mind then. Bein’ a vampire would stink,” Judith huffed. She rocked back and forth on her heels. “You can’t change back?”

         Rick shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.” He and Daryl led her back towards the tents.

         Judith’s mouth twisted as she thought. “So...you said before vampires are like walkers. Does that mean you two died?”

         “That’s a big question, girlie,” Daryl said. “We ain’t got all the answers fer this.”

         “Hm.” Judith nodded. “Guess it doesn’t matter much. You’re both here, so that’s what matters.”

         “Exactly,” Rick replied, kissing the top of her head. “We’re handling it, and you don’t need to worry about it. Get some sleep.”

         “’kay, fine. Good night.” Judith kissed his cheek, hugged Daryl again, and headed into her tent.

         Without discussion, Rick and Daryl ended up walking up to the top of Little Round Top and the tower of the monument. Neither were particularly ready to sleep and they were the only ones with actual night vision.

         “Gotta say, bein’ able to see at night like this’ll make huntin’ easier,” Daryl said, leaning his forearms on the battlements.

         “I have a feeling you’re going to be a lot better of a vampire than I am,” Rick chuckled, moving to stand beside him.

         Daryl’s lips quirked into a small smile. “Damn right.”


	7. Chapter 7

         As the sun sank below the horizon, Rick and Daryl took up the task of building onto the wall. They’d managed to collect a good bit of wood from the nearby barns and homes over the last three days, and while metal would have been better, it was something. Right now, getting a wall up of any material was the most important. Especially since they weren’t sure if Jeremy would be attacking them. They had never specified where they were, but Maggie had pointed out that if Rick had been able to track them into another state, it wasn’t impossible to believe that Jeremy would be able to track them here.

         The moonlight illuminated the fields in a soft blue-white glow by the time they were done with their section of fence. Rick turned to Daryl as they put away their tools. “I know Siddiq hasn’t gotten the blood we need, but if you’re hungry, we could go hunt in the woods near by?” he suggested. His eyes roamed over Daryl, taking in how the light played over his features making him look otherworldly, to the way his eyes glinted in the dark like a cat’s.

         Daryl nodded. “I could eat,” he agreed. “There’s gotta be somethin’ good ‘round here.”

         Rick smiled and led the way into the woods. The breeze was soft and warm as it rustled the leaves on the trees. He looked over at Daryl, who was even more silent now that he was a vampire. Rick tripped over a branch he hadn’t been paying attention to.

         Daryl snorted. “Graceful.”

         “Shut up,” Rick chuckled. And that was when he caught a whiff of deer. He tensed, as did Daryl beside him. Rick nodded, Daryl nodded back. They sprinted deeper into the woods.

         The deer loped out of the bushes and fled.

         Rick snarled and tackled the deer, sinking his fangs into the neck. Daryl pounced from the other side. The deer’s legs buckled and it crashed to the ground. Rearing back, Rick snapped it’s neck, killing it instantly. They both dove in, downing the blood.

         The deer didn’t last long, and soon the two of them were backing off. Rick looked up, breathing hard. Daryl prowled around the deer, graceful as a jungle cat, and knelt by Rick. His eyes were glowing a bright cerulean. Rick shifted on his knees so that they faced each other. He moved closer, taking in the way the blood stained Daryl’s lips crimson. Unable to control himself, Rick leaned in, swiping up a trail of blood with his tongue.

         Daryl surged forward, pressing their lips together, his own tongue flicked out to capture the blood from Rick’s mouth. It curled up behind Rick’s fangs. Rick growled and pushed back, pressing Daryl into the leaves and dirt. The kiss was messy, bloody, fierce. Daryl sucked on Rick’s bottom lip before pulling back. He grabbed Rick’s hand and brought it up toward his face. Rick let out a groan when Daryl’s lips wrapped around two bloody fingers at once. Their eyes met. Daryl’s pupils were blown wide, black nearly eclipsing the blue.

         Rick rumbled deep in his throat and pulled his hand back so he could yank at Daryl’s pants. He peeled them off his hips and down his legs. The boots were next. Daryl tipped his head back, exposing his neck for Rick to nuzzle and lick. Fingers hooked into the waistband of Rick’s jeans and hauled them down past his ass.

         “C’mon, _Alpha,_ ” Daryl purred, pawing at Rick’s boxers.

         Something about that word caused Rick to growl louder than before, heat shooting straight to his cock. Rick shoved his boxers out of the way. He grabbed Daryl’s legs, fingers digging into his thighs, and folded them back against his chest. Rick trailed his fingers down and pressed one against Daryl’s rim. It was slick. Daryl’s scent spiked. Awed, Rick easily slipped one finger into him.

         Daryl arched and moaned. His stomach twitched.

         “That’s it, let me hear those pretty little noises,” Rick crooned, pushing in a second finger. Daryl opened so beautifully for him. Rick kissed him, removing his fingers, and lined himself up.

         “Ah!” Daryl yelped as Rick thrust in. He gripped Rick’s shoulders and curled his legs around his waist. Rick slammed his hands on either side of Daryl’s head, hips rolling.

         The tight, wet, heat surrounding him was too much for any control he had left. Rick dropped his head to Daryl’s neck and sunk his fangs into him. Daryl hissed and clawed at his clothed back. Fangs pierced Rick’s neck in retaliation.

         Rick pounded into Daryl, Daryl’s blood filling his mouth. _Daryl, Daryl, Daryl._ That was all that mattered. The way his body twitched and squeezed him. His taste. His scent. Everything. Pleasure rocketed down Rick’s spine and he shoved into Daryl a final time. The world went white.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Daryl wasn’t sure what woke him up; the walker or the heat from the sun. His eyes snapped open, intending to roll up onto his feet to fight the thing off, but that wasn’t possible. Not with Rick pinning him to the ground. A naked Rick. Which explained that odd fullness in his ass. “What the fuck!?”

         Rick jolted awake, and just in time. Daryl used his surprise to roll them out of the way of the walker. Wincing, he pulled off of Rick and went to his hunting knife which had fallen nearby with his belt.

         “What’s going on?” Rick asked, sitting up.

         The walker lunged again, and Daryl sunk the knife into it’s skull. He yanked it out, stumbling back a little. He stabbed it again for good measure.

         With the immediate threat gone, Daryl was able to focus on how he’d woken up that morning. “Fuck.” He tried thinking back to the night before. It was mostly a blur. After they’d caught the deer...he just remembered feeling hot and desperate.

         “Daryl?” Rick’s voice startled him.

         Looking up, Daryl could see concern in Rick’s eyes. That was when he realized he was crying. Just a little, but still. Daryl turned away, hiding his embarrassment by looking for his clothes. He’d lost his virginity—to Rick!—and he couldn’t even remember it.

         “Daryl, are you okay? Did I hurt you?” Rick asked as he stepped closer. At some point he’d pulled his pants back up.

         “’m fine,” Daryl grunted. “Didn’t hurt me.” He found his pants and yanked them on.

         “But those marks on your back...”

         Daryl froze. How could he have forgotten those? Everything was confusing. Daryl shook his head as he got his boots. “Ain’t from you. Those’re…old.”

         Rick’s hand landed on Daryl’s arm. “Look, what happened last night—”

         “Was a mistake. I got it,” Daryl finished for him, not looking him in the eye.

         “No, yes, I mean...” Rick let out a frustrated growl. “I don’t know _exactly_ what happened. Only bits and pieces. If it was consensual, then I don’t regret it. If I forced you, then you have every right to hate me.”

         Alarmed, Daryl’s head snapped up. “Ya didn’t rape me, if that’s what ya think. I...I wanted it. From what I remember.” The last confession was barely more than a whisper, but he knew Rick heard him.

         Rick’s shoulders relaxed and he sighed. His hand moved from Daryl’s shoulder to his neck. He brushed his thumb gently over his jaw. “You don’t regret it either then?”

         It was hard not to melt into Rick’s hand. But there was something nagging at Daryl. “What about Michonne?”

         “We’re not together anymore,” Rick replied. His hand dropped to his side. “Not just because I bit her. She wasn’t exactly thrilled with the fact that I’d stayed hidden, making y’all believe I was still dead.”

         Daryl nodded. It made sense. And honestly he’d noticed some tension even before that. Not that they’d been unhappy together, more that perhaps the relationship had run its course. “An’ ya want _me?_ Ya sure?”

         “Yes, I’m sure,” Rick said, reaching out and taking Daryl’s hand in his. It was clear he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. “Is that what _you_ want?” he asked instead.

         “It is,” Daryl replied earnestly. He’d loved Rick for so long, but, he hadn’t realized it until it was too late. Of course, Daryl hadn’t ever thought he’d had a chance anyway. He wasn’t that lucky.

         Tiny droplets of rain on his shoulder reminded him he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Before Daryl could do something about it, Rick was picking his shirt up off the ground and handing it over.

         “We should head back,” said Rick with a smile as Daryl took the shirt and pulled it on.

         By the time they returned to the camp, the light rain had become a downpour. Both of them were drenched. Luckily, thanks to Jesus’ efforts, Rick had a prefab home they could return to instead of a tent. Due to Rick, Maggie, Aaron, and Carol and Ezekiel having kids to look after, they’d gotten the first homes that had been found. More would be brought around soon, but the others of their group were patient..ish. Rick’s was set up in what had once been a parking lot behind Little Round Top.

         Daryl grimaced and squeezed out his hair on the little porch. He squinted out at the sky, at the dark gray clouds that had rolled over the sun. Daryl snuck a glance at Rick. As awkward as it was, he needed to know. “Rick… Are we…together? Like a couple?” God that sounded pathetic. But Daryl didn’t want to just assume either.

         Rick looked at him. “Yeah. I’d like to think so,” he replied, kicking the mud from his boots. Taking Daryl’s hand, he led him into the house itself.

         A three bedroom, cottage style home, it just needed actual furnishing beyond mattresses and a chair. Some paint too. But still it was cozy; like it could be home.

         Rick pressed Daryl against the front door and kissed him. Softly. A hint of tongue swiped over Daryl’s lip. And then Rick pulled back, hand brushing through Daryl’s hair. Then down to his neck. He frowned a little. “This bite mark wasn’t here yesterday?”

         “What bite mark?” Daryl asked. He moved away from the door and looked into a window. Peering closely, Daryl could see a faint mark on his neck that looked like it was made by fangs. “The hell? Huh...” He turned back to Rick. “Maybe ya got a little rough last night.”

         “Damn. Daryl, I’m sorry.” Rick grimaced.

         “Don’t be. ‘s fine, really,” Daryl insisted, shifting into Rick’s space. He wanted to kiss him, prove he wasn’t upset, but he was nervous. “Ain’t like ya never bit me b’fore.”

         Rick’s brows furrowed. “Maybe, but those marks faded almost instantly.”

         Daryl shrugged and leaned against Rick. When Rick’s arms wrapped around him, he buried his face against his shoulder. Fresh-cut grass, leather, and a hint of cinnamon; Rick smelled like comfort. It was subtle, but there.

         The front door swung open. Daryl jumped away from Rick as though burned. But it turned out to just be Judith, who was now looking up at them with her head tilted curiously.

         “What are you doin’?” she asked.

         Seeing that Daryl wasn’t sure how to respond, Rick answered. “How would you feel if Daryl moved in here with us?”

         Both Daryl and Judith looked at him with shocked expressions.

         Judith squealed happily and threw her arms around Daryl’s middle. “Yay! That’s awesome!” She bounced a little before turning her head to look at Rick. “Um. Not that I’m not happy, but why? Is it ‘cause Daryl doesn’t like sleepin’ in tents?”

         “No,” Rick chuckled, his hand resting against Daryl’s back. “Well… You know how Michonne and I were?”

         Judith nodded. “But you aren’t any more.”

         “That’s right. But that’s how Daryl and I are now,” Rick explained.

         Daryl thought it was an awkward way of explaining it, but it was better than anything he’d have come up with. He looked down at Judith who seemed to be thinking over the news.

         “Okay!” Judith chirped, smiling up at Daryl. “Does that mean I get to call _you_ Dad too?”

         And didn’t that just make Daryl feel all warm inside? He glanced at Rick with a raised eyebrow.

         Rick hummed. “I could see that getting confusing. Maybe something else...”

         “Well it ain’t gonna be Mom,” Daryl grumbled.

         Judith giggled.

         “Why not? I think you’d make a great mom,” Rick teased. He gave Daryl’s ass a sneaky pinch.

         Daryl jumped and smacked Rick’s hand away. “Just fer that I’m movin’ back to the tent.” It was hard to keep the scowl on his face, though, with the way Rick and Judith were laughing.

         “I’m sorry,” Rick said, not sorry at all. “How about Papa then?”

         “Yeah!” Judith nodded enthusiastically.

         “Mmm… That’s okay,” Daryl agreed, mulling it over. It was nice. “Yeah, I like that. Papa it is.”

         Judith hugged him again, grinning from ear to ear. Daryl caught Rick with a matching smile, and relaxed into his side. Maybe the craziness of last night would turn out to be a good thing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the amazing comments and the kudos!

         Rick was concerned. Over the past couple of days as the group continued to try and prepare for an attack against the Hersheypark group, Daryl had been throwing up. He didn’t think it was the blood Siddiq had gotten them, since Rick wasn’t sick and felt perfectly fine. But he couldn’t figure out what else it could have been. Siddiq hadn’t been able to figure it out either, so that ruled out any human virus. And of course, Daryl being Daryl, he refused to take a break and continued hunting for the group and to help keep walkers away from the sections of fence being worked on.

         “How many times do I have to tell ya ’m fine? Quit worryin’,” Daryl said, a frown crossing his features when he caught Rick watching him. He dropped the possum off by the campfire and headed down the winding path behind the monument towards the house. “Ain’t even thrown up since early last mornin’. An’ it’s gotta be at least three in the mornin’ now, so I’m good.”

         “I know, I know. But I just wish we knew what was causing it,” Rick replied, following him.

         Daryl shook his head. “Maybe ‘s gone already. Never was really the type to stay sick.” He stopped in front of the porch and turned to face Rick. When Rick came to a stop himself, Daryl hooked his fingers in Rick’s belt loops and tugged him closer. “We got enough to deal with without ya gettin’ all worked up over a cold or whatever.”

         Sighing, Rick leaned forward and rested their foreheads together. “Yeah, we do, but you’re important to me, Daryl.” He’d let it go, for now, though. He kissed him, then smirked. “I’m sure we can think of a way to keep our thoughts off it?”

         A blush spread over Daryl’s cheeks. He ducked his head and peeked up at Rick through his bangs. “Ya wanna?”

         Rick nodded. They hadn’t had sex since the incident in the woods. He hadn’t wanted to push Daryl, and then he’d been sick… Well, seeing as he hadn’t caught whatever Daryl had yet, Rick couldn’t see why they shouldn’t have some fun. “If you’re ready to. If not we can do something else.”

         Daryl slid his hands up to Rick’s chest. His eyes roamed up to meet Rick’s. “Okay.”

         With a chuckle, Rick kissed him. “Okay.” They walked inside and headed up to the master bedroom. Rick locked the door—Judith was just down the hall and the walls weren’t exactly soundproof—and turned to see Daryl already toeing off his boots. “Eager?” he asked with a teasing grin.

         “...Should I put ‘em back on?” Daryl asked, brows furrowed.

         Rick laughed and shook his head, kicking off his own boots. He approached Daryl and cupped his face in his hands. Once Daryl looked him in the eyes, Rick kissed him. Slightly chapped lips parted for him almost immediately. Daryl was a faster learner, and had taken to kissing like a natural. Even if he hadn’t yet initiated one. Rick didn’t mind, though, he enjoyed kissing Daryl. There was an earnestness and eagerness that Daryl kissed back with that he couldn’t get enough of.

         A few breathy moans escaped Daryl when Rick trailed his kisses down his neck. “Rick,” he sighed. His hands fell to Rick’s belt, which he unbuckled and slid through the loops before dropping it to the floor. Daryl snagged him by the belt loops again, this time dragging Rick over to the “bed”.

         “Damn, Daryl,” Rick rumbled, sliding his arms around Daryl and dropping them down onto the mattress. He pushed up Daryl’s shirt and traced his fingers over his stomach and up to his chest. Daryl’s breath hitched and he pressed up into Rick’s touch. A particularly dirty roll of his hips had Daryl gasping, storm blue eyes widening.

         Daryl gripped the front of Rick’s shirt as he thrust back against Rick. He still looked a little shocked. “Are…are we gonna fuck?” Daryl asked, his eyes darted away shyly despite the blunt question.

         “Only if you want to go that far. We don’t have to do more than you’re comfortable with,” Rick promised, still above him. He kissed Daryl languidly, caressed his cheek. Daryl kissed him back and pushed his hips up to meet Rick’s, erection straining against his pants. Rick fumbled a bit, trying to get both their pants down, but eventually he got it and was able to free both their cocks. He figured starting like this would give Daryl a chance to decide if he wanted more or not.

_“Ah,_ shit,” Daryl panted, curling a leg over Rick’s hip to give him better leverage to rut against him.

         Rick wrapped his hand around the both of them and stroked. “Fuck, that feels good.” Precum slicked the way, making it feel even nicer.

         Daryl hummed in response, which turned into a raspy moan when Rick twisted his wrist just right. His hands moved from Rick’s back, to his arms, to his chest, then to his shoulders, seemingly unable to decide what to do with them. Daryl arched against Rick, biting his lip hard to contain the louder moan that wanted to break free.

         Curiosity had Rick sliding his other hand down Daryl’s back and over the swell of his ass. Damn, but did Daryl have a great ass, round and firm and perfect for squeezing. And Rick couldn’t help but grope it, indulging a little. Daryl didn’t mind, if his moans and the way he pressed closer were any indication. Rick dipped his fingers lower. His eyes widened. Daryl was slick back there, like he already had used lube. A _lot_ of lube.

         “ _Rick,_ ” Daryl keened, kissing at his jaw. He buried his face in Rick’s neck when a finger pressed inside his body. “Nnh! _Fuck._ Fuck!” Daryl quivered and he bit down on Rick’s shoulder, muffling his shout as he came over Rick’s hand.

         A growl slipped past Rick’s lips and he stroked a little faster. Daryl’s whimpers of over-stimulation in his ear were enough to send him over the edge a few moments later. He pressed a kiss to the top of Daryl’s head, breathing in his scent and calming down from his high.

         “Ya got bite marks,” Daryl mumbled.

         “Huh?” Rick leaned back a little so he could hear him better.

         Daryl looked up at him. “Ya got bite marks on yer neck. Like mine.” He poked at Rick’s neck. “Didn’t bite ya tonight though. On yer neck, anyway.”

         Rick shrugged. “Guess we both were a little rough that night,” he replied. Rick grinned at Daryl’s blush. “It’s probably a vampire thing. I don’t think we have to worry about it.”

         “Guess not,” Daryl said, curling close again. A few moments later, he looked up at him. “Do ya think you’ll ever know who turned ya?”

         “I don’t think so,” Rick replied, rubbing Daryl’s hip. “I’m not really concerned about it, since I doubt we’ll ever go back to Alexandria. Besides, being turned saved my life and let me come back here to all of y’all. That’s the only thing that matters to me.” It was the truth. Rick honestly didn’t care if he ever found out the identity of the Whisperer that changed him. Whether they were friend or foe, they had saved his life. And now he got to be here with his family. With Daryl.

         Daryl nodded and sighed, content.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Rick frowned as he patrolled along the walls they’d gotten up. There had been no sign of Jeremy or the rest of his group at all, and that put everyone on edge. Luckily, they’d managed to gather more weapons and put up some temporary defenses, so now it was just a matter of agreeing on whether they should attack or try and solve things diplomatically.

         And then there was Daryl, who was still throwing up and still determined to hunt and insist that nothing was wrong. Rick shook his head. Something was definitely wrong, but no-one was able to figure out what. And so no-one could stop Daryl from going hunting. It was driving Rick up a wall.

         Finishing his patrol, Rick came to a stop under a large oak, enjoying the shade. The sun might not have been deadly, but it still wasn’t fun to be out in it. It made him feel sluggish and weak.

         “Rick!” Carol called, waving as she jogged down the hill towards him.

         “Hey. What’s up, Carol?” Rick replied with a smile.

         Carol came to a stop in front of him. “I was just wondering if you’d seen Daryl? I’ve been looking for him for an hour and can’t find him.”

         Rick shook his head. “No. Maybe he’s still out hunting?”

         “Still? He went out four hours ago,” Carol huffed, hands on her hips. “Will you tell him to come find me when he gets back, then? Ezekiel had the thought of building a mechanic shop, and we thought Daryl would want to have some input. Figured with all our vehicles and what we’ll be able to collect from Harrisburg and the surrounding towns, it’d be a good idea.”

         “That does sound like a good idea.” Rick agreed with a smile. Tilting his head, he asked, “But what makes you think you won’t see him first?”

         Carol arched an eyebrow at him. “Really? Because he’s always with you. And don’t think I don’t know that you two are an item,” she said. Carol grinned. “I’m happy for you both. Especially Daryl. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy.”

         Rick blinked. They hadn’t exactly told people about them, and he hadn’t thought they’d been obvious about their relationship. Not that Rick was ashamed, just that he and Daryl were naturally private people. “Thanks.”

         “Uh-huh. Now, you’ll tell him I’m looking for him?” Carol asked again with a smirk.

         “Of course,” Rick said, smiling.

         And he would have. Had Daryl come back. But as the moon rose high over the settlement, Daryl was nowhere to be seen. Rick searched the entire area, asked everyone he passed, before he knew he’d have to look through the woods outside the walls.

         Rick hurried through the front gate and used his superior speed to race down and across the road to the woods Daryl usually hunted in. While he could now see in the dark, the moonlight seeping through the leaves of the trees was helpful. As he traveled just inside the treeline, Rick caught faint traces of Daryl’s scent. He hadn’t been that way in several hours. Rick followed his scent deeper into the woods, being careful and taking his time.

         The woods out there were dense. Trees and bushes all tangled together, waiting to trip up even the most careful trespasser. At night, with the chorus of crickets and rustling of nocturnal animals, it was even more confusing and dangerous. Rick had no chance at being quiet as he stepped through fallen leaves, pine needles, and other debris, but that was the least of his worries.

         Daryl’s scent led him on a twisting path that made Rick wonder how he ever planned on finding his way back. Then again, it was _Daryl._ If anyone could figure those woods out it was him. Which was why it was so worrying that he hadn’t gotten back. Especially when he was sick.

         Rick froze in his tracks. Daryl’s scent had changed. And there were swirls of other, unknown scents mixed in. “Damn it!” Rick swore, charging through the underbrush, following the path the combined scents made. Branches whipped at his face and arms as he ran.

         And then it started to rain.

         “No, no, no!” Rick snarled as the scents weakened further. He finally tore through the treeline and ended up on another road. It was only a minor relief, now that he could sprint again. Rick followed the fading scents, as well as the smell of car fumes, along the winding back road. Until he noticed familiar surroundings. Rick slowed. They had taken the main road into Gettysburg, and likely beyond. Dread settled in the pit of Rick’s stomach. Daryl had been kidnapped by Jeremy’s people.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Please check the new tags! This chapter went pretty dark.

         It was pitch black. Even with Daryl’s ability to see in the dark, he could barely make out the walls that closed in on him from all sides. His hands and legs were bound, and no matter how much he struggled he couldn’t break the restraints. The smell of mold, old cleaning supplies, and his own vomit saturated the air. And of course, he was naked.

         Daryl’s chest heaved as he pushed himself into a corner. He couldn’t breathe. It was dark, he was alone, and he couldn’t breathe. Daryl pulled at his bindings again. _That_ song wouldn’t stop playing in his mind. His head pounded and he needed to get out.

_Get out._

_Get out!_

        _GET OUT!_

         There was a click and the door swung open. Daryl screamed and thrashed. A boot to the gut shut him up, and he curled in on himself on the floor.

         “You’ve barely been in here a day! God you’re a pussy,” Jeremy said with a sneer. He grabbed Daryl’s hair and yanked his head back. “Now, are you going to be a good little Omega and shut the fuck up?”

         Daryl nodded, eyes squeezed shut against the bright light. He didn’t know what Jeremy was talking about, but he figured staying quiet would help. Daryl was good at being quiet.

         “Good,” Jeremy praised, stroking Daryl’s cheek. “If you keep quiet, you can stay with me. I’m sure that’ll be a lot better than being here, right?”

         Again, Daryl nodded.

         Jeremy hauled him up and slung him over his shoulder. Had he not been a vampire such a thing would have been a lot more difficult. “We’ll get you all cleaned up and ready,” Jeremy said, strutting away from the storage closet and out the door of the little candy shop.

         Daryl was still trying to catch his breath, but Jeremy’s shoulder pressing into his stomach made it difficult. The sun burned at his back, making him hiss. There were voices scattered around, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Daryl looked up as they passed into a building that might have once been a restaurant and up a set of stairs in the back.

         “Home sweet home,” Jeremy sung, dropping Daryl onto the tiled floor with a thud.

         Grimacing, Daryl glared up at him.

         Jeremy kicked him in the ribs. “Don’t test me. I’m your Alpha now, and you’ll behave yourself.”

         Daryl ducked his head. Peering out from under his bangs, he took in his surroundings. He was in a long, somewhat narrow room with many windows. Spring green paint chipped off in certain spots on the walls. The doors were all white. Mismatched furniture filled the place, including an old brown couch, a big orange double bed in the far corner, and a dark wood dining table.

         A door opened and two men came through, carrying a large tin tub between them that sloshed with water. They set it on the floor and looked to Jeremy.

         “I’ve got work to do. You two get _this_ looking nice for me,” Jeremy said, grabbing Daryl by the hair once more to drag him to the tub.

         “Yes, Alpha,” one of the men—a guy around Daryl’s age with a shaved head and a goatee—replied. The other man—younger, taller, and bigger—looked Daryl up and down, lip curling in disgust. The two manhandled Daryl into the tub.

         Daryl screamed. The water burned and stung, though it was cold. He struggled as the bigger man pinned him down and the other started scrubbing at his body.

         “Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that was Holy Water. Should keep you nice and well behaved for me,” Jeremy said with a smirk. And then he left.

         The pain continued as Daryl was fully, _thoroughly_ cleaned. It hurt so much.

         “You think Jeremy’ll let us have him when he’s done?” the first man asked with a leer.

         The second man rolled Daryl over onto his hands and knees. “I don’t care. Feels like you’d catch something if you stuck your dick in it.”

         “You know he doesn’t, we’d smell it. ‘sides, that’s why we’re cleanin’ him,” snorted the first man.

         “Yeah, like Jeremy would share. I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” the second man said.

         Daryl gasped in relief when he was finally dumped out of the tub. He shivered on the floor, barely registering the fact that the rope around his legs and wrists was being cut. For some reason that didn’t make him feel better.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         It was unclear just how much time had passed before Daryl was able to calm himself enough to really take in his situation. The beginnings of nausea crept up into his chest and throat as he sat up and looked up at the windows, seeing the stars twinkling in the distance. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. It helped, but barely. The scent of blood caught his attention, however.

         He spotted a bowl by the dining table. Daryl crawled to it as best as he could. He scooped up the bowl and downed the blood. Daryl couldn’t handle all of it, his stomach still threatening to revolt, and sat back on the floor. He supposed he was glad they weren’t planning on starving him at least.

         Daryl pushed himself back against a wall and wrapped his newly freed arms around his legs. His whole body still hurt, but not as badly as before. Though his legs were no longer bound, Daryl couldn’t gather the strength to stand. That meant escape wasn’t possible, yet. He really just wanted to curl up and sleep. But what if Jeremy showed up?

         Almost as though his thoughts had summoned him, Jeremy strode into the room. “You’re conscious,” Jeremy said with a smirk.

         “What the fuck do ya even want with me?” Daryl snapped. Now that he wasn’t panicking anymore, he had no problem snarking at his captor.

         Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “You must be even dumber than I thought.” He stepped in front of Daryl and leaned over him. “What else would an Omega be good for?”

         “The fuck does that mean?” Daryl’s lip curled in annoyance. He remembered that word being mentioned before. Daryl has a bad feeling about the term.

         “Wow. Your Alpha was really slacking if you don’t even know that much.” Jeremy scoffed, shaking his head. He grabbed Daryl’s hair and pulled him forward before shoving him to the floor. Jeremy pinned him, pressing up against Daryl’s naked back. “It means you’re nothing more than a hole to fuck and breed,” he breathed into his ear.

         Daryl wanted to buck and throw him off, but he couldn’t. The most he managed was a slight wriggling. He growled again. “Get off!”

         Jeremy snarled and forced him still. “Like I said, Holy Water. Powerful, and that bath was more than enough to keep you weak for thirty hours at least.” He scraped his fingers along Daryl’s hips, lifting them up. Digging them into the flesh of Daryl’s ass, he pried him open.

         “No!” Daryl let out a feral hiss and clawed uselessly at the floor.

         Chuckling, Jeremy licked a hot stripe up Daryl’s neck. He froze. “The hell?” Jeremy flipped Daryl over. His gaze traveled along Daryl’s body, brows furrowed in confusion. “Jesus fuck!”

         Daryl flinched as Jeremy stood, but then went completely still. When the expected kick didn’t come, he looked up to see Jeremy pacing. And then he was storming out of the room. Exhausted and sick, Daryl lay on his side and drifted.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Daryl shivered and glared at the backs of the men as they left with the tub. He turned his gaze onto the bowl of blood that had once again been left for him. Sighing, Daryl crawled over to it and leaned down. He hesitated. Something about the blood smelled strange. He sniffed again and then scooted away. Daryl didn’t know what was causing the smell, but he wasn’t going to drink that. Even if he was hungry.

         Of course, when Jeremy showed up later, he was pissed.

_Smack!_

         Daryl grit his teeth at the sting in his cheek. He’d dealt with worse. Being slapped was nothing.

         “I’m not going to let you starve yourself! Eat!” Jeremy demanded, pointing at the bowl.

         “Fuck you!” Daryl retorted. “That shit is either poisoned or ya got it from somebody sick.”

         Jeremy set the bowl in front of him and pushed his head down towards it. “Eat.”

         Instead of answering, Daryl pressed his lips together.

         “You’re getting to be more trouble than your worth,” Jeremy snapped, unrelenting in his grip. “I was trying to give you an easy out. Now, you can either eat, or I can rip that baby out of you while you’re still conscious.”

         Daryl felt a chill shoot up his spine. He had to have heard that wrong. Or maybe Jeremy was just crazy.

         “You didn’t know?” Jeremy actually sounded amused. He snorted. “And I thought you actually caught on. Well, let me be the one to deliver the good news: You’re pregnant!”

_“No.”_

         “Oh yeah,” Jeremy laughed. “But not for long. Like I said, you can either abort it yourself, or I can make you. It’s up to you.”

         Daryl stared down into the rippling red liquid, his breath disturbing the surface. The blood _did_ have some kind of poison or medicine in it, then. But it was either that or… He didn’t know what the alternative was exactly, but his imagination gave him a few ideas. Daryl felt his breathing pick up. He hadn’t even known he could get pregnant, but it explained the weird sickness. “I’ll do it.”

         Jeremy let up a little, only enough so that Daryl could drink the blood without choking on it. Once the bowl was empty, he grabbed Daryl’s face and forced open his mouth. “Can’t have you only pretending to eat,” was his explanation. Satisfied that Daryl had swallowed the blood, Jeremy let go and stepped back. His eyes settled on Daryl’s stomach and his lips stretched into a dark smirk. “Don’t worry. I plan on replacing it once it’s gone.”

         Daryl didn’t reply. Or couldn’t. His thoughts were too jumbled and he hurt too much. He heard Jeremy leave, locking the door behind him as always. Footsteps treading down the stairs, and then they faded. Daryl pushed to his knees and crawled into the bathroom. He grabbed the edge of the sink and hauled himself to his feet. Leaning over the sink, Daryl shoved two of his fingers down his throat. He gagged. He pulled his fingers out and threw up into the sink. Over and over again until his throat burned.

         Fat tears slid down Daryl’s cheeks as he ran water in the sink to clear up the puke. With no strength left, he fell to his knees. He wrapped his arms around his stomach. “’m sorry,” Daryl whimpered. He hoped he’d gotten it all up. If he didn’t… Rick would _hate_ him. He’d remember what Lori tried to do and he’d think Daryl was a monster. Hadn’t fought hard enough to stop it. So he had to hope he threw everything up.

         Daryl dragged himself back to the main room. Curling into a corner, another thought crossed his mind. _What if Rick doesn’t want another kid?_

         If he escaped and told Rick, what made him think Rick would even be happy about that? Yes he loved Judith, but that didn’t mean he wanted another kid. Daryl rubbed at his eyes. He’d probably freak out about the fact Daryl could get pregnant in the first place. The others would be disgusted too. They’d throw him out. And then Daryl would be alone. Would he be able to raise a kid himself? He didn’t know if he could, or would want to. But Daryl didn’t think he could just get rid of the baby either.

         There were no clear answers.

         And it might not matter. Jeremy could get fed up and kill him at any time and because of the Holy Water Daryl couldn’t fight back. He was screwed no matter what happened. That was the only certainty.

         Daryl dropped his head against his knees and sobbed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry...


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kudos and comments! I'm so glad you're all still enjoying this. :)  
> (Note: I've never been to Hersheypark, I'm just doing my best with google maps and pictures from the park website)

         Rick stared out at the wide open space of the parking lot, sun glinting off the remaining cars as it started to set. The place was absolutely swarming with walkers. More than enough to make up at least three herds.

         “You sure this is the easiest way in?” Aaron asked, frowning through his binoculars. “Because I’m thinking it’s the easiest way to get eaten.”

         “According to the map I found, Hershey's Chocolate World is right there. It doesn’t have a fence around it and, while it’s probably got a lot of people in there, it’s our best bet,” Jesus said, crossing his arms. He looked at Rick. “But that meanings its going to be heavily guarded.”

         “I’d bet on it,” Rick agreed. “But that’s why we’re going now, when they won’t expect it. Let Eugene know we’re ready.”

         Jesus nodded and pulled out a little mirror from his pocket. He angled it with the sun and flashed the light twice. A moment later there were two responding flashed from a bridge about a mile away.

         “Okay, once Eugene starts, we go,” Rick said, spotting another responding flash from Ezekiel’s group on the other side of the parking lot.

         A few moments passed. Then the first small explosion went off in the parking lot. The walkers were instantly drawn to it. Another explosion went off several feet away. Then another, leading the walkers away from Hershey’s Chocolate World.

         Rick led his team across the first half of the parking lot and over to the little building and trees in the center. They met up with Ezekiel’s team and crept along the little road, sticking close to the spread out trees.

         “How soon before Eugene sends out the next set?” Tara asked, glancing over her shoulder.

         “Hopefully now,” Maggie replied. She pointed. “There’s still a ton of walkers left.”

         They stopped and crouched low by a small cluster of trees.

         “I see one,” Michonne whispered. Sure enough, a second later another little explosion went off towards their far right. Unfortunately, as the walkers followed the second set of explosions, some wandered too close.

         Rick stabbed one as it lunged for Henry. Carol and Rosita took care of the two that staggered through the trees towards them.

         They continued to take out stragglers as they crossed the rest of the parking lot and hid behind some cars.

         “Looks like we could either try to get in through the back, or follow the trees and circle around the building,” Jesus pointed out.

         Rick frowned. “Daryl might be in there. But he could also be anywhere else in the park,” he said, growling a little. The stress had been getting to him and he hadn’t eaten, so his temper was barely in check.

         “Then it follows that we should split up again,” Ezekiel said. “A smaller group for the building would be far less noticeable.”

         “He’s right.” Maggie nodded. Her gaze swept over their group. “Rosita, you, Aaron, Henry, and Alden will take the building. The rest of us will circle around.”

         They agreed and split off, heading further to the right.

         “Let’s go, then,” Rick said, and led them around to the little path bordered by trees.

         The trees grew in number, but with Rick leading the way there was no fear of running into any surprises. In fact, it seemed the place was rather light on security.

         “Maybe the place is too big for them to guard it all properly,” Michonne muttered, though she didn’t let her guard down.

         The area definitely felt abandoned. Just a few small food and drink stands—anything from wings to Dippin’ Dots to Pepsi—here and there, with the partially collapsed roller coaster framing the slowly darkening sky. Posters and various odd bits of trash blew across the concrete.

         Rick stopped them as they came across another building, much smaller than Hershey’s Choclate World, but big enough to check out. “There’s people in there. I can’t tell details, though. Y’all wait here, I’m going to check it out.” When there were no protests, he crept closer to the building. The fading sign advertised Chick-fil-A, but peering through a window proved that to no longer be the purpose.

         Whatever had been in the building before had been replaced with multiple couches and chairs, a dining table, and a Foosball table. There were at least five vampires inside, all talking and laughing.

         Relieved they hadn’t been noticed yet, Rick returned to the group. “Keep going.”

         They stayed hidden in the trees, passing a fountain and skirting the edges of The Scrambler. But then they came across a fork in the path. Maggie, Tara, Carol, Aaron, and Enid took a left at the Pretzel House, while Rick, Jesus, Ezekiel, and Michonne continued to the right.

         Until they heard some people approaching.

         Rick gestured and they ducked behind the trees by the Tea Cups.

         “How many of ‘em do you think we’ll get to keep?” a man asked.

         The woman walking with him snorted. “I don’t know. Hopefully a couple. Those guys at the Sonoco are fine, but there really isn’t enough.”

         “If Jeremy wasn’t so greedy there might’ve been.”

         Both laughed. Then the woman stopped in her tracks. She looked around, eyes narrowed, and her nostrils flared.

         Michonne shook her head, but Rick didn’t hesitate. Using his vampiric speed, he darted out from the trees and slashed the female vampire with his hunting knife. She screamed. The male vampire didn’t waste any time in grabbing Rick and throwing him against the tea cups.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Daryl leaned against the wall, his arms wrapped around himself. He watched the sunbeams inch across the floor. It would be night soon. His gaze flicked up to the bed, where Jeremy was stirring. Hopefully tonight he’d just leave.

         He flinched when Jeremy finally sat up. Daryl curled in on himself further and tucked his head against his chest. Peering out from under his bangs, he kept an eye on Jeremy as he stood. And it seemed to work, for a little while.

         “I’m having the doctor check you out later. See if you’re ready for me,” Jeremy told him, crouching down to his level. “For your sake, I hope you are. I’m not feeling very patient.” He pat Daryl on the head and left.

         Then it was quiet. Daryl glared at the floor, hands curling into fists. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t fight back the way he wanted to. Yes the Holy Water had an affect on him, weakening him, but Daryl felt he should still have been able to do _something_. But lately it was almost as though all thought of fighting left him when Jeremy was there.

         Nearly silent footsteps on the stairs caught Daryl’s attention. Frowning, he lifted his head and stared at the door. The doorknob jiggled. Silence. There was a click and the door swung open.

         Addy stepped into the room, her gaze sweeping over it before settling on Daryl. “You _are_ here!” She hurried over and knelt in front of him.

         Daryl hissed and backed up against the wall even more. “Back off!”

         “I’m not here to hurt you,” Addy assured, holding up her hands so he could see them. “I came to break you out.”

         “Yeah? How’d ya know I was here? Why didn’t ya try before?” Daryl wasn’t stupid, despite what many thought. For all he knew Addy was another Alpha or whatever and just wanted him for herself.

         Addy shook her head. “I didn’t know before. I overheard Cody and Alex talking about you last night,” she explained. She sighed and gave him a sad look. “Jeremy’s always been…not right. But he’s our leader so...”

         “Thought you were all leaders,” Daryl said. Giving it a little thought, she didn’t smell threatening. And while Daryl couldn’t say what, it did seem like something was missing from her sent that both Rick and Jeremy had. A certain intensity.

_“Tch_ , no. He just goes with that when we meet new people. Thinks having a Beta and an Omega as “leaders” gives off a less threatening feel. Then he can decide how he really wants to deal with them,” Addy said with a frown.

         Daryl chewed on his lip. “Yer what, Beta or Omega?” he asked.

         “Beta,” Addy replied, raising an eyebrow. “Didn’t—Rick was it?—tell you about that sort of thing?”

         “No,” Daryl said. He studied her for a moment longer. “He doesn’t know ‘bout this shit either. He was only turned recently, too.”

         Addy’s eyes widened. “Oh! That explains so much, actually.” She sighed and stood up. Despite Daryl’s flinch she held out her hand. “But we really don’t have time to talk about this. If we’re going to get out of here, we have to go now.”

         A flicker of embarrassment at his nudity had Daryl hesitating, but he took her hand and let her help him up. He wobbled a little, but quickly steadied himself.

         “You okay? Can you walk?” Addy asked, her hand landing on his arm.

         “’m fine!” Daryl snapped, staggering over to the dresser. He yanked open a drawer and pulled out a pair of Jeremy’s pants. Like hell he was going to sneak out of this place ass naked. They were a little snug, but it was better than nothing. “Alright. Let’s go.”

         Addy led the way out of the room and down the stairs. She crouched down behind a gray brick half-wall. Daryl had to hold onto the brown metal pillar it was attached to in order to do the same.

         What had once been a food court was now nearly empty. The signs for the various food were still up, but many of the tables and benches were gone. One side of the building was covered in floor to ceiling windows.

         “Now what?” Daryl asked.

         “There’s a back entrance through the kitchen. This way,” Addy whispered, slinking along behind the wall. Daryl followed, though it was a struggle. They rounded a corner and Daryl stopped to lean against the wall and breathe. Just doing this was taking a toll on him. It sucked.

         Addy jumped up and slid over the black Formica counter and dropped to the other side of one of the food stations. “This is the door I came in through.” She paused and looked back. “Daryl?”

         Daryl pushed himself up and propped against the same counter. “Comin’.” It took every effort to haul himself onto the counter, and he ended up needing Addy’s help. She steadied him as he rolled off onto the floor on her side and they entered the kitchen. They passed the ranges and the metal shelves and soon found the back door.

         Addy opened it, peered outside, then nodded. “All clear.”

         The click of a gun cocking had them both freezing.

         “Or not,” Jeremy said, aiming right between Addy’s eyes. He frowned at Daryl. “You’ll come along quietly. It seems like I’ll have to teach you both a lesson.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Vampires swarmed them from all sides, chasing them down. The first two were hot on their heels. Rick needed to find an open space so they could maybe get the upper hand. If that was even possible.

         They dashed between two water slides and were cornered at the Ferris Wheel. Turning, Rick could see the vampires watching them, but clearly ready to attack.

         “Now what?” Michonne hissed, her grip on her katana so hard her knuckles had gone white.

         “I think now we have to hope the others will figure out where we are and help,” Jesus muttered.

         “What is going on here?” a familiar voice shouted. The crowd of vampires parted and Maria stepped out into the open. Her gaze landed on Rick and the others. “You? What are you doing here?”

         “Where’s Daryl?” Rick snarled.

         Maria blinked and her brows rose. “Daryl? I’m sorry, isn’t he with you?”

         “No, actually, he’s right here,” Jeremy announced, pushing through the other vampires. He shoved Daryl forward, sending him sprawling to the ground. “I wasn’t expecting everyone to be gathered already, but that saves on time.”

         “What the hell are you doing?” Maria demanded.

         Jeremy backhanded her. “Shut up.” He dragged Addy to the center of the circle, sending a smirk Rick’s way. “First of all, a little discipline. Addy here tried to take what wasn’t hers. We all know that isn’t allowed. Right, Maria?”

         Maria bared her fangs in response.

         “Right!” Jeremy grinned. “So this is a warning to all of you!” He turned and shot Addy in the head. She crumpled to the ground.

_“Addy!”_ Maria cried, racing over to her body.

         Jeremy allowed it, instead turning his attention to Rick. “Now for you. You also were trying to take what isn’t yours. Daryl here is mine now. He was mine the moment I turned him.”

         “I’m going to destroy you,” Rick growled. He wasn’t going to let this shit happen. Not again.

         “Scary,” Jeremy deadpanned. “It might actually be threatening if you weren’t surrounded by vampires who actually know what they’re doing.” He walked over to Daryl and crouched over him. Jeremy grinned up at Rick as he grabbed the waistband of Daryl’s pants. “I’d offer to let you have him when I’m done, but, I’ll be killing you after so, yeah.” He chuckled.

         And that was it.

         Rage consumed Rick’s mind. His senses expanded, and he could see, hear, and smell everyone. He lunged.

         Rick tore Jeremy limb from limb. Bit into his throat and tore it open. Someone tried to run. He ripped their head off. He grabbed another. And another. There were screams. Blood sprayed everywhere.

_Kill them..._

_Kill them all._


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait everyone. Life happened and then I got inspiration for my original novel and I had to go with that while I still had it.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

         Daryl grunted as he was hauled off to the side by Maria—along with Michonne, Jesus, and Ezekiel. He couldn’t take his eyes off the massacre in front of the Ferris Wheel. Rick’s eyes were completely pitch black. His fangs had lengthened and his veins were bulging. He looked like a monster.

         Michonne tried to rush back, but Maria stopped her. “Let us help him!” Michonne snapped.

         Maria shook her head. “Are you stupid? Your Alpha is in a _Blood Rage!”_

         “Blood Rage?” Ezekiel asked, tearing his gaze away from the bloody scene.

         “Yes! Which means if he sees you, he will _eat_ you.” Maria glanced back at where Rick was still tearing into vampires. “You all need to get out of here”— she looked at Daryl— “except for you.”

         “We’re not leaving them here,” Jesus protested.

         “You have to! At the very least you need to get to the other side of the park,” Maria said, frowning. “Daryl is the only one who might be able to get close to him. Which means he’s the only one who will be able to get him the blood he needs. Unless someone is volunteering to be drained?”

         Daryl looked at his family. “Go. I’ll deal with it.”

         Though they hesitated, they did leave.

         “What do I have to do?” Daryl asked.

         “We have some blood bags. The blood’s a day old, but it will have to do. If you can get him to drink them, I’ll be able to find one of our Thralls and he can feed from them,” Maria explained. “You’re his Mate and pregnant, which is why you might be able to do this.”

         Daryl didn’t have the energy to ask her what the hell she meant by the whole “mate” thing. Instead, he nodded, and watched as she disappeared into the darkness. Surprisingly, she was back only thirty seconds later, bags of blood in her arms.

         “Here.” She handed over three. “I’ll toss more out once you’ve gotten him to drink these.”

         Nodding, Daryl took the bags and staggered out into the open.

         Rick was standing stock still, having killed everyone in the vicinity. He whipped around, black eyes locking on to Daryl. He snarled, flecks of blood spewing from his mouth. Rick tackled Daryl, pinning him to the ground.

         “Fuck! Dammit, Rick,” Daryl grunted. He’d dropped the blood bags, but one was still in reach. He snatched it up and shook it, trying to get Rick’s attention.

         It worked. Not letting Daryl up, Rick grabbed the bag and tore into it with his teeth. He downed the whole thing. Some blood escaped, joining the mess in Rick’s beard. While he was distracted, Daryl managed to pull another bag over, catching the third and nudging it closer at the same time.

         Rick finished off the other two bags. It seemed to help. Daryl could see that his veins no longer looked like they might pop out of his skin and his fangs were back to normal. His eyes, however, were still completely black.

         “Ya gonna calm down now, Rick?” Daryl asked. Despite what Rick had just done—what he might still do—he couldn’t find it in himself to be scared. Because Rick was Rick, and Daryl trusted him with his life.

         “Daryl,” Rick crooned as he covered Daryl completely with his body. He nuzzled Daryl’s neck, smearing blood over him. Not that Daryl minded. Another blood bag landed close by, causing Rick to freeze.

         Daryl slipped his arm out from where it had been pressed against his body and pulled it closer. “Ya gotta eat, Rick. Know yer hungry,” he said, holding it up. Honestly, Daryl was hungry too, but it was more important that Rick get back to normal first. As Rick drank from the bag, Daryl allowed himself to curl up against him. Jeremy was dead and Rick was here. He could get through whatever happened next.

         Rick’s head snapped up. Daryl craned his neck to see what had caused the reaction. A man—a human—was approaching, head lowered. With a snarl, Rick launched himself off Daryl and grabbed the unknown man. Before Daryl could ask what the hell he was doing, Rick bit him.

         Frowning, Daryl looked over to where Maria was standing and watching them. He raised an eyebrow at her.

         “Fresh food,” she mouthed back.

         Daryl rolled over as Rick pulled away. The man dropped to the ground, pale and cold and dead. “Shit,” muttered Daryl.

         Breathing heavily, Rick took several steps back from the body. He covered his face with his hands as he hunched in on himself.

         That didn’t seem good. Not knowing what else to do, Daryl got to his feet. “Rick?” He chewed on his bottom lip, then reached out to touch his arm.

         Rick whirled around, eyes wide. And back to normal. When he saw that it was Daryl, he relaxed. “Oh god,” he breathed, pulling Daryl into an embrace. “Daryl, are you okay? Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?”

         “I’m...” Daryl squeezed his eyes shut. He was going to say he was okay, but he wasn’t. He couldn’t lie to Rick like that. “Ya didn’t hurt me.”

         “Good,” Rick sighed.

         “And it seems you’re back to normal,” Maria said as she approached them. “I’m glad.”

         Rick pulled away from Daryl, glaring at her. “You! You and your people took Daryl!”

         Maria shook her head. “No! That was Jeremy. His people took him. Addy and I had no idea.”

         Daryl pressed his hand against Rick’s chest, stopping him from lunging at her. “Addy said the same. She told me Jeremy was the one really in charge here.”

         “And if you hadn’t realized, I just helped you out of your Blood Rage. If I wanted you all dead I wouldn’t have helped,” Maria added, hands on her hips.

         Rick backed off, instead looking around at the carnage. He grimaced. Then his gaze turned to the body of the man he’d drained. “I killed him.”

         “He was a raider. Tried to kill some of our people while they were out on a run. Trust me, it’s no loss,” Maria said with a dismissive wave of her hand. She frowned. “Right now, there’s more important things to deal with. Both of you should see our doctor. Especially you.” Maria pointed at Daryl.

         Daryl’s eyes narrowed. “Thought everyone was dead?”

         “This wasn’t everyone,” Maria replied, shaking her head. “No, Teresa should be in her office.”

         “And what about our people? I saw Michonne, Jesus and Ezekiel. Are there gonna be okay?” Daryl demanded.

         Rick’s eyes widened. “They aren’t the only ones here.”

         Maria held up her hands. “Relax. I already talked to everyone while you were feeding.” At their nods, she continued, “I’ll bring you to Teresa and then make sure things are still okay.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

         “Well, I was wondering what all the noise was,” Teresa—a tall woman with her cornrowed hair tied back into a low ponytail—said with a smirk as Rick and Daryl entered the building she’d outfitted into her office. She frowned and approached Daryl, touching his arm. “Oh, honey, you are not looking good.” Teresa shot a look Rick’s way, taking in the way he was completely soaked in blood. “Neither do you, if I’m being honest.”

         Daryl flinched but let her lead him to the cot she had set up. “Been worse,” he muttered.

         “Doesn’t mean you don’t need help,” Teresa huffed. “Especially in your condition.”

         “What do you mean his condition?” Rick demanded. He moved to stand beside Daryl, practically hovering at his shoulder.

         Teresa gave Daryl a look and shrugged. “Up to you.” She gave them the illusion of privacy as she went about gathering her equipment and tools.

         Daryl licked his lips and looked up at Rick. “Didn’t know ‘til Jeremy said somethin’,” he started. He chewed on his bottom lip. “I…I’m pregnant.”

         Rick blinked. “Excuse me?” He shook his head and passed a hand over his mouth. “How? I mean, you’re a man?”

         Unable to keep to herself, Teresa stepped over. “He’s an Omega. Which means he’s very much able to get pregnant. Especially since you’re an Alpha.”

         “There’re those damn words again, what the hell are ya talkin’ ‘bout?” Daryl snapped.

         “Huh.” Teresa looked between them. “Well, the short answer is that vampires have secondary sexes: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. Alpha vampires are the most territorial and are leader types. No matter their sex or gender, they can get others pregnant. Omegas, no matter sex or gender, can _get_ pregnant. While generally submissive in nature, they can be dangerous in their own right. Especially if their family or pups are threatened. Beta’s don’t have the secondary sex and therefore don’t have the sort of instincts Alphas or Omegas have.”

         Daryl wasn’t sure what to make of that information. And judging by Rick’s expression, neither was he.

         “...You’re pregnant?” Rick asked, looking into Daryl’s eyes.

         “Yeah,” Daryl muttered. He crossed his arms and averted his gaze. “’m sorry.”

         “You— _Daryl.”_ Rick cupped Daryl’s face, pressing their foreheads together. “Daryl, you have nothing to be sorry for. _Nothing._ Okay?”

         A breath of relief escaped Daryl. “Okay.”

         Rick grinned and kissed him. “You’re pregnant,” he repeated, awed.

         “As much as I hate to break this up… Rick why don’t you go wash your face and hands while I take a look at Daryl, here?” Teresa said, shooing Rick over to the sink.

         Rick nodded, glanced at Daryl, and then went to do as she said.

         Teresa urged Daryl to lie back. “I’m going to do an ultra sound first, make sure the pup is okay,” she explained.

         “Why do ya keep callin’ it a pup? I ain’t a dog,” Daryl complained, pushing his pants down just a little as indicated.

         “Just what we call them. I think it’s because of the whole vampire bat thing,” Teresa said with a shrug. “Now this going to be a little cold, but you’ll just have to deal with it.”

         She slathered a gel over Daryl’s lower abdomen. Daryl winced as she pressed a wand-looking thing hard against his gut. Teresa moved it around, her eyes glued to the monitor she had set up. After a stretch of silence, she finally looked at him and smiled. “Everything is great.”

         Daryl’s eyes shut and he felt his body relax like it hadn’t in days. “Really?”

         “Really. I’m not seeing any damage despite the bruises on your stomach,” Teresa said, removing the wand. “However, that doesn’t mean you aren’t in need of some help. Has something happened?”

         Daryl frowned and sat up, wiping the gel off himself. “Don’t wanna talk about it.”

         “Daryl,” Rick said, tone concerned.

         Teresa shook her head. “Look, I need to know if you’re hurt anywhere else.” She looked at Rick, then back to Daryl. “Would you be more comfortable without Rick in here?”

         Adjusting his pants, Daryl shook his head. He bit at his thumbnail. He knew he should say something, but he didn’t want to upset Rick. Daryl also didn’t want to lie to Rick. He’d been honest about the pregnancy and Rick hadn’t been mad. “Jeremy bathed me in Holy Water. A lot. Tried to poison me an’ make me lose the baby.”

         Rick growled. “He _what!?”_

         “That bastard,” Teresa hissed. “How’d he even _get_ Holy Water?” She sighed. “Alright, well, unfortunately there’s nothing I can do about those things now. You still have the baby, and you’ll get your strength back soon enough. The only thing I can recommend is drinking some fresh blood and getting plenty of rest.”

         “Wait,” Daryl said, a thought just having occurred. “This baby…is it gonna be a vampire too?”

         Teresa nodded. “Of course, you two are.”

         Rick set his hands on his hips and frowned. “How’s that going to work, exactly? Will the baby age?”

         “Oh! Yeah, the baby will age like normal once they’re born,” Teresa said with a smile. “I don’t exactly know the reasons behind it, but born vampires will age like a human until they’re twenty. After that it slows down until about twenty-five, and then they stop aging.”

         “That’s weird as fuck,” Daryl muttered.

         “Weirder still is the fact that vampire pregnancies are fairly short. Just seven months,” Teresa added. “So I’d like to see you here again in three weeks.”

         Daryl had no words. Seven months. He was going to have a baby in _seven months._

         “Okay, let me get a look at you now,” Teresa said, walking over to Rick. She had him sit in a chair and then shined a light in his eyes. “Oof. Just had a Blood Rage, huh? Well, your pupils are dilating normally, so that’s good. Open your mouth?” Rick did so and she peered inside. “Hm. Still a little long, but those should shrink again soon. Okay, I think you’re good to go. Just need a shower,” she said with a laugh.

         Once Rick and Daryl had left the building, Daryl pulled Rick into a kiss. “Missed ya. So much.”

         Rick kissed him back, before leaning away a little. He ran his fingers through Daryl’s hair and gazed into his eyes. “Missed you too.”


	12. Chapter 12

         “You’re both welcome to stay here,” Maria told them with a small smile. “I know we got off to a bad start—and understatement I realize—but I want you to know that that’s over.”

         Daryl glanced around the huge room of the factory. A few vampires were hanging around, though many had gone to clean up the area by the Ferris Wheel. Carol, Maggie, Ezekiel, Jesus, Aaron, Tara, Rosita, Eugene, and, well, everyone else, were gathered together. They had put their weapons away, but they were clearly all still ready to fight if necessary.

         “I don’t know. After everything...” Rick frowned and rested his hands on his hips.

         Maria nodded. “I understand. But, I think you should at least visit. There is so much we could teach you about what you are.” Her smile brightened. “You both are powerful already. Imagine what you could do if you knew how to use all the abilities you have.”

         Rick and Daryl exchanged a look.

         “What kind of abilities?” Daryl asked.

         She laughed. “I had a feeling that would get your attention,” Maria remarked. “You already know about your enhanced senses, speed, and strength I’m sure. But there is also being able to climb walls without rope or footholds, communicate with animals, and some limited shape-shifting powers, to name a couple.”

         “Great, now I’m jealous,” Tara muttered, crossing her arms. “That sounds awesome.”

         “Those do sound useful,” Rick said with a half-smile. “Can we take some time to think it over, though?”

         “Yes, of course,” Maria replied. “Honestly, that would probably be for the best. Things need to settle here and we need to work out some new rules. But, you are always welcome here. If you have any pressing questions, you should ask now, though, since I’m not sure when we’ll see each other next.”

         Daryl shifted on his feet and chewed on his bottom lip. “Kept hearin’ about mates and stuff. What was that about?”

         Maria looked him over, then Rick. “Regarding you two?” At Daryl’s nod, she gave a thoughtful hum. “I see. Well, based on the marks on your necks, I’d say that it’s true. In simple terms, you two are married now.”

         “What?” Rick asked, eyes wide.

         “How the hell did that happen?” Daryl demanded.

         “...It wasn’t intentional then?” Maria inquired, eyes narrowed curiously. “Oh. I see…Generally it happens because of _Luxuria Sanguis_. Blood Lust. Normally it’s a rather sacred ritual where two vampires who wish to Mate will hunt together and share blood. That would also be how you became pregnant. That’s within the norm for a Blood Lust Mating.”

         Daryl shook his head. There was too much to think about. Too much that went into being a vampire. He was tired, hungry, and just wanted to go home.

         As though he could sense all that—and maybe he could—Rick nodded politely. “Thank you again. For helping us. We’ll be in contact.”

         “I hope to see you soon,” Maria replied.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Rick stroked Daryl’s hair as they sat, curled together, in the back of one of the cars on the way back to Little Round Top. It had taken some convincing, but he’d eventually gotten Daryl to take his shirt as well.

         “Just wanna get home,” Daryl muttered against Rick’s chest.

         “Yeah, me too.” Rick smiled. “Judy’s going to be so happy to see you.”

         Giving a soft huff, Daryl looked up at him, soft blues twinkling in the golden light of the setting sun. “Ya think so?”

         “Of course,” Rick said. He pressed a gentle kiss to Daryl’s forehead. The hand not petting his hair moved to his still flat stomach. “She’s going to be even happier to learn she’s going to be a big sister.”

         Daryl rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched in the beginnings of a smile. _“Tch._ Still can’t believe I’m fuckin’ pregnant.”

         Unable to keep from smiling himself, Rick gently rubbed his belly. “It’s certainly a surprise. At this rate though, you’d think we’d be used to strange things happening to us.” A thought occurred. “You think it’s going to be a boy or girl?”

         “Don’t really wanna think about it right now,” Daryl said, tucking his head back under Rick’s chin. “Still gotta deal with the fact we’re—apparently—basically married.”

         Yeah. That. Rick had been keeping that thought simmering in the back of his mind. They were Mates. “Is that okay with you?”

         Daryl shrugged. “Ain’t mad ‘bout it. You?”

         “No. ‘Course not. Though I guess I would’ve preferred being able to actually propose,” Rick said. Then he squeezed his eyes shut. Just because Daryl wasn’t “mad about it” didn’t mean he’d want to be proposed to. It wasn’t like they’d really even been together long.

         There was a few moments of silence. Then, “You would’ve proposed to me?”

         Rick gave him a half grin. “At some point, I like to think I would’ve.”

         Daryl nodded slowly, then shrugged. “Don’t need some fancy proposal anyways.” The corners of his lips quirked up in a tiny smile. “But the thought’s nice, I guess.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

         “Papa!” Judith shouted, barreling right into Daryl’s arms the moment he stepped into camp. “You’re back!”

         Daryl smiled as he crouched to return her hug. “Yeah, I am. Missed ya.”

         Judith sniffled, burying her face against Daryl’s chest. “Are you okay?” Her voice was slightly muffled.

         “’m fine, nothin’ fer ya to worry ‘bout,” Daryl said with a soft chuckle. He pet her hair and drew back a little. _“You_ okay?”

         “Yeah,” Judith replied, nodding and wiping at her eyes.

         Apparently tired of being left out of the reunion, Rick approached. “Don’t I get a welcome?” he asked with a fake pout.

         Judith huffed. “You didn’t disappear.”

         Daryl stifled a laugh as Rick pressed a hand over his heart. “Abandoned by my own daughter. I’m hurt.”

         Grinning, Judith gave him a hug. “Auntie Carol would say you’re a drama queen.”

         “Is that right?” Rick laughed, shooting Carol a look.

         Carol, who’d been watching, smirked. “Am I wrong?” Laughing, she left with Ezekiel.

         Rick shook his head, and reached out to help Daryl stand up properly—much to Daryl’s embarrassment. “I think we should have a night to ourselves. Just the three of us. What do you think?”

         “Sounds good,” Daryl agreed, ducking his head and peering at him out of the corners of his eyes.

         “Yay!” Judith clapped and grabbed both their hands. “Let’s go!”

         The three of them gathered on the couch in their house—Rick only getting up to make some food for Judith and grab a blood bag for Daryl—and it felt like, maybe, everything could be normal. As normal as anything gets during the apocalypse.

         The moment they were done eating, Judith pushed Daryl’s arm up and curled against his side. “You’re not allowed to leave again. Ever.”

         Daryl gave a quiet laugh. “Gonna have to go outside again at some point.”

         “Nope,” Judith pouted.

         “What if I go to keep an eye on him?” Rick suggested with a grin.

         Judith hummed thoughtfully. _“Maayybe,”_ she allowed.

         Rick shook his head fondly. “What about if I told you we have some good news?”

         Perking up, Judith shifted so she could look at Rick without letting go of Daryl. “What? Tell me!”

         “Impatient,” Daryl snorted.

         “How would you feel about being a big sister?” Rick asked, reaching out to brush a stray hair from her face.

         “That’d be cool!” Judith exclaimed, eyes wide. She frowned. “But how’s that gonna happen? Oh!” Her face lit up. “Did you find a baby or something?”

         “Not exactly,” muttered Daryl, looking a little hesitant.

         Rick scratched at his beard. He’d been thinking about the best way to explain it all the way back. “Well, you know how Daryl and I are vampires?”

         “Uh-huh.”

         “Well,” Rick started, shooting a glance at Daryl, “because of that, uh, Daryl is having a baby.”

         Judith’s eyes narrowed in a look so _Daryl_ that Rick had to fight not to laugh. “That’s weird.” She turned her attention to Daryl. “You don’t look pregnant.”

         Daryl grimaced. “Too early. Only just happened.”

         “Oh...” Judith shifted and her lips twisted into a thoughtful pout. She nodded, then smiled. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

         “We don’t know yet,” Rick said, relief causing his shoulders to relax.

         “Ugh, fine,” Judith sighed. “But I get to help pick a name.”

         “Of course,” Rick agreed.

         Daryl nodded and smiled. “Best get to thinkin’ of some, then.”

 

         After getting Judith to bed, Rick had expected to sit on the couch and maybe cuddle. But Daryl’s heated look, paired with his arms winding around Rick’s waist, told him that wasn’t going to be the case. “Daryl. You sure? I mean, we just got back and after what you went through...”

         “That’s why I need ya,” Daryl replied, biting his lip. “I wanna remember yer hands on me.”

         Rick took hold of one of Daryl’s hands and kissed his knuckles. “If you’re sure.”

         “I am.” Daryl allowed Rick to lead the way to the bedroom.

         “We’ll have to be quiet. The walls aren’t exactly sound proof,” Rick said with a chuckle.

         Daryl gave a little hum of acknowledgment before pushing Rick towards the bed. Their clothes were shed and tossed every which way.

         Rick watched as Daryl crawled over him, movements leisurely, muscles rippling under tanned skin, and settled on his lap with hands resting on Rick’s chest. Confident Daryl was a wonderful sight to see. One that was doing its job of getting him all worked up. The halo of moonlight and soft glow of his eyes only enhanced it. “Gorgeous,” Rick rumbled, petting his thighs.

         Smirking, Daryl slid down his body and wrapped his hand around Rick’s cock. He only gave it a few strokes before leaning down and flicking his tongue against the head.

         “Damn,” Rick huffed. A moan was punched from deep within his chest. Daryl grinned up at him with wrapped his lips around his cock and sucked. While it was clear that Daryl had never done it before, the enthusiasm more than made up for it. Rick gripped at his long hair, biting his lip to keep quiet.

         With a decidedly filthy pop, Daryl pulled off and climbed back up Rick’s body. “Gonna ride ya,” he purred, grinding his hips down against Rick’s.

_“Fuck,_ yeah, sounds good to me.” Rick licked his lips as he slid his hands back to grab at Daryl’s ass.

         Daryl gave a quiet moan and reached back to pull one of Rick’s hands away. Before Rick could even think to ask what he was doing, Daryl brought the hand up and took two of his fingers into his mouth. Rick groaned, head dropping back against the pillows. Daryl’s tongue was going to be the death of him, he was sure of it.

         He couldn’t take his eyes off Daryl, even as the other closed his, moaning around Rick’s fingers. _“Daryl,”_ Rick growled. They were going to need to speed things up if Daryl wanted this to last longer than five seconds.

         Reluctantly, Daryl let go of Rick’s fingers and shoved his hand back against his ass. “Go on then.” A soft gasp escaped his lips and his eyes fluttered shut. Daryl dropped forward and buried his face in Rick’s neck.

         Grinning, Rick pumped his finger into Daryl’s warm body. It appeared Shy Daryl was back. He peppered kisses along his neck, squeezing a second finger in alongside the first. “So good for me, Daryl. You know that, sweetheart?” Rick praised, enjoying the shudder it elicited a moment later.

         Daryl pushed his hips back, fucking himself on Rick’s fingers. He nipped at his neck, being careful of his fangs. “Sap,” he muttered.

         “I won’t deny it,” Rick chuckled, working in a third finger. Smirking, Rick swiped his thumb over Daryl’s stretched rim, just to hear the muffled mewl it caused. It didn’t take much longer after that for Daryl to swat his hands away.

         A determined glint to his eyes, Daryl pushed himself up, situated himself, and sank down. Rick let out a low groan as tight heat surrounded his cock. Daryl threw his head back, mouth dropping open in a keen. He slapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes screwed shut.

         When there were no sounds from outside the room, Rick squeezed his hips. “It’s fine. Don’t think you woke her,” he assured. Though that brief wait had been a good thing. Rick really didn’t want it ending too soon.

         Daryl nodded. He breathed slow, planted his hands on Rick’s chest, and lifted himself up. Then quickly dropped back down. His fingers curled in Rick’s chest hair as he rolled his hips, moaning sweetly. Rick rocked up to meet him, knocking another groan out of the both of them. He pulled Daryl down hard as he thrust again.         

_“Yes!”_ Daryl hissed, writhing in Rick’s lap. “Again!”

         Rick happily complied. “Feel so good,” he grunted, surging up to kiss Daryl’s throat. Daryl wrapped his arms around Rick’s shoulders and, with the new leverage, was able to meet Rick’s thrusts more easily. His cock rubbing against Rick’s stomach had him biting Rick’s shoulder to muffle the louder moans tumbling from his lips. Rick nipped at his collarbone and thumbed at a nipple.

         And really, from there, it wasn’t long before Daryl came hard. There was a sting in Rick’s shoulder from Daryl’s fangs. It only took a couple more thrusts before Rick’s world whited out.

         When awareness returned, he noticed Daryl was slumped on his chest. He smiled and kissed the top of his head. “Best honeymoon ever.”

         The comment startled a laugh out of Daryl. “Fuckin’ really?” he snorted, slapping Rick’s shoulder.

         Rick huffed in amusement. He tipped Daryl’s head up to kiss him on the lips. “I love you.”

         Daryl blinked at him, surprised. Blushing from ear to ear, he tucked his head under Rick’s chin. “Love ya, too.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for the long wait. This chapter was giving me a lot of problems, lol. Mostly because I was still deciding just how I wanted things to go after this chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! :)

         Daryl sighed as he leaned back against the black cushions of the little green car. It had been part of a ride that looked a lot like a less fun bumper cars. The faded sign out front had called it Whip. Rick and Maria were in the center, going over the lesson. Apparently, trying to shapeshift while pregnant was dangerous, but he’d be damned if he didn’t at least get to see how it was done. Daryl tapped his fingers against his growing belly and tried not to feel left out.

         “Now, you should know that while we _can_ shapeshift, it’s not into anything and everything,” Maria said. “Predators and scavengers are the main thing: wolves, dogs, cats, snakes, birds of prey, rats, and so on. We can also become mist. Don’t ask me why that’s a thing, I don’t know. That’s just how it is.” She laughed.

         Rick chuckled. “It does seem strange, but okay.”

         Maria brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. “There’s also an interesting thing in that, while with enough training any vampire can change into any of those things, generally we have a form that is easiest for us to change into. For example.” She took a step back. The air around her seemed to twist and shrink in on her, distorting her image, and then, in place of Maria, now there was an enormous snake. An anaconda.

         “Damn,” Daryl muttered. While he hadn’t exactly doubted her, it was a whole other thing actually _seeing_ it happen.

         Maria lifted her head, tongue flicking in and out. That weird air thing happened again, and then she was a black jaguar, then an owl, and finally she returned to her human form. She smiled brightly. “And when you have enough practice you can do that. Change from form to form in succession.”

         Shifting in his seat, Daryl rested his head in his hand. “Hey, so if ya got all this power, why weren’t _you_ leader of this place?”

         That got both of their attentions. Maria sighed and swept her hair back behind her ear. “Well, there are a few reasons. One being that after about two-hundred years, ambitions tend to change. I’d had a colony for a few decades. But, I no longer had the desire to lead, and then the end of the world happened.” She crossed her arms and propped her hip against one of the other cars. “I met Jeremy not long after that. At first he was a good boy. Eager to learn, with the right amount of ambition and a desire to help. Of course, there’s a reason power and corruption go hand-in-hand.

         By the time I realized how bad things had gotten, it was too late to do anything.” Maria shook her head, her brows furrowed, and lifted her gaze to them. “Jeremy was popular with many of the colony. And maybe I had more skill, but without the support of the people, there was no way I would have been able to lead. I couldn’t just leave either. There were—are—still good people here, and leaving them to face Jeremy alone would have been...”

         Rick rested his hands on his hips. “It’s understandable, what happened. Our group has struggled with similar issues, but we made it through.” He smiled at her. “You’re colony will make it as well. It’s clear you care about them.”

         “Yes, well.” Maria cleared her throat and stood up straight. “I appreciate the confidence, but you still need to focus on the lesson. Shapeshifting isn’t as easy as walking up those walls. You’re changing your entire body, after all.”

         Daryl snorted. That had been the one and only lesson he’d been able to complete before Teresa had told him to stop doing anything strenuous.

         “The key to this is not to think too hard,” Maria instructed. “Feel your wild side. Let your instincts take control. Try to remember times when you acted on instinct. To help your family, to have fun.”

         It was easy to see when those instances popped into Rick’s head. Daryl wondered if Rick was thinking of the same instances that he was. And then Rick’s form shimmered and distorted. Before returning to normal.

         “That was pretty good,” Maria praised. At Rick’s skeptical look, she laughed. “You won’t get it on the first—or even second—try. But something happened, and that’s a start.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Rick kept one arm wrapped around Daryl’s back, and the other around Judith’s shoulders as they sat with the others at the camp fire. With the metal from the Hersheypark Colony, they had finally finished the walls. Homes, a farm, and a church were all in the works and at various levels of completion. The prospect of a finally safe home, and his family being happy and healthy kept a smile on Rick’s face.

         “We found some horses earlier today, while you two were gone,” Michonne told him. “And some seed packets. Do you think you’ll start up farming again?”

         “I might,” Rick said with a nod.

         Daryl chewed on his bottom lip. It was clear he wanted to say something, but he didn’t.

         Deciding to give him a moment, Rick turned his attention to Maggie. “I know I haven’t been around much to help. How are things going here? It looks like it’s all coming together.”

         Maggie smiled. “That’d be because it is.” She pat Hershel’s hair as he scrambled up onto the log beside her. “Eugene finally got those solar panels workin’.”

         Eugene raised the glass of water he held to her in acknowledgment.

         “Maybe this will finally be our home,” Carol sighed, holding Ezekiel’s hand. “God knows I’m certainly tired of moving from place to place.”

         The rest of the time was spent laughing and joking, and a few people even brought out a couple of games they’d brought with them. But eventually, those who weren’t nocturnal started filtering back to their homes and tents.

         A warm breeze rippled the grass on the hill, causing the waves of green to brush against Rick and Daryl’s legs. Fireflies bobbed about, always just out of reach. One sailed past Daryl’s nose, causing him to wrinkle it and go a bit cross-eyed.

         Chuckling, Rick squeezed Daryl’s hand. “So, it seemed like you had something to say earlier.”

         “Oh.” Daryl shrugged and stared out at the trees. Chewing on his lip, he slowly returned his gaze to Rick. “I don’t know. Just… It almost feels like everythin’s goin’ too well, ya know?” He ducked his head. “Every time we’ve felt like things were finally workin’ out, shit’s hit the fan. At the prison with the Governor, Alexandria with the wolves, then Negan, and then the Whisperers? I wanna be hopeful, but I can’t.”

         Rick stopped them and turned to Daryl. “You can’t think like that, Daryl.”

         “An’ why not?” Daryl retorted, frowning.

         “Because if you keep looking for things to go wrong, eventually they will,” Rick said. He pulled Daryl a little closer. “I understand why you’re pessimistic, but it’s only going to stress you out. And that’s not good for you, or the baby.”

         Daryl leaned forward and rested his forehead against Rick’s shoulder. Letting go of his hand, Rick wrapped his arms around him.

         “I can’t help what I think,” Daryl muttered. “But I’ll try. I wanna believe everythin’ll turn out okay. Especially fer you, an’ Judith, an’ the baby, an’ everyone else.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Daryl sighed as he settled on one of the boulders. If there was one thing about being pregnant he hated most, it would’ve had to have been how easily he got tired. That and the back pain. And the mood swings. Or… Okay, maybe most of it sucked. Though he supposed it would be worth it in the end.

         “Hey, you okay?” Aaron’s voice shook Daryl out of his darkening thoughts.

         “Yeah. Just tired. What else is new?” Daryl griped. He rolled his eyes at the chuckle that earned from Jesus. The two wandered over and sat with him. “Don’t suppose either of you’ve seen Rick yet?”

         Aaron patted his shoulder. “I know you don’t like being left behind, but he’s only an hour late.”

         Daryl scoffed and crossed his arms. Rick had been returning later and later each time.

         “Maybe he found something interesting or useful on the way back,” Jesus suggested.

         “Maybe,” Daryl replied. He didn’t want to dwell. Rick wouldn’t want him stressing about it. “How’s the building goin’? Got the blacksmith up an’ runnin’ again?”

         Jesus nodded and smiled. “Yeah, actually. Just saw Henry put the final touches on it earlier.” He reclined back on his hands. “And you should be happy to hear Judith is doing better at training. I think she’s actually better than Aaron.”

         “Wow, really?” Aaron asked, his grin taking away from the hurt tone in his voice. “Guess I’ll have to try harder then.”

         Daryl huffed in amusement, glad for the distraction of his friends. “Damn right. Judith’s prob’ly gonna be better than most of us by the time she’s twelve.” He couldn’t help but feel proud of his Lil’ Asskicker. Though, of course, Daryl had known when he’d first held her that she’d end up being a force of nature.

         “I think she’s been teaching Gracie a few things, even,” Aaron remarked with a grin. “Doubt it’ll be long before they rope Hershel into their little group.”

         Jesus laughed. “The Three Musketeers of the Apocalypse. What could go wrong?”

         “Ya asked fer it with that question,” Daryl snorted. Before either could respond, he spotted the gates to their community opening up. Rick was back. Daryl rocked to his feet, then paused. He felt a little bad leaving the conversation.

         “Go on,” Aaron said, waving him off. “We know you’ve missed him.”

         Daryl nodded at them, and then hurried off towards the gates. “Rick,” he greeted, slowing to a stop in front of him.

         Rick blinked, then smiled and leaned over and kissed him. “Sorry I’m late,” he replied. “I was trying to learn how to communicate with animals. It’s not as easy as you’d think.”

         As they headed away from the wall, Daryl couldn’t help but feel something was off. Maybe it was Rick’s scent. Or the way he’d hesitated before greeting him. Daryl pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He was probably just tired. “Did ya get it yet?”

         Rick shrugged. “I think I might have managed to hear a little something from a crow. But I’m not sure.”

         “Oh.” Daryl chewed on his bottom lip. Part of him wanted to complain that that lesson wouldn’t have been difficult to do while pregnant. But he stopped himself. “Jesus an’ Aaron were just tellin’ me Judith’s doin’ real good with hand-to-hand combat.”

         “That’s great,” Rick replied with a nod. And that seemed to be all he had to say on the matter.

         Frustrated, Daryl reached out and took hold of Rick’s hand. “Thought I might’ve felt a kick earlier today?”

         “Mhm.”

         “Rick, is somethin’ wrong?”

         Rick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No. I’m sorry, Daryl. I guess all this training has worn me out.” He leaned over and kissed Daryl’s cheek. “I think I’m going to eat a little and get some sleep.”

         Disappointment settled over Daryl’s shoulders. He nodded anyway. “’Course. A break would be good fer ya.”

         “We can talk more later,” Rick said, giving Daryl’s hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. Daryl watched him walk off towards their house. He frowned and bit as his thumbnail. Voices from deep within, ones he’d thought he’d gotten rid of, started up their whispers. Something was wrong. Daryl just hoped that what was wrong wasn’t him.


	14. Chapter 14

         Daryl was woken up by the sound of the bedroom door clicking open. Rick’s scent wafted over him and he relaxed. Until he recalled it was early in the morning and he himself had only just gone to sleep. “Yer late again.”

         The bed dipped and Rick sighed. “I know, I know. I’m sorry for waking you up.” He touched Daryl’s arm gently.

         Irritation bubbled in the pit of Daryl’s stomach. Rick had been saying the same thing for the past couple of weeks. “Sure,” he grunted.

         “...I had an idea. Do you want to talk about it now or later?” Rick asked, shifting to lean back against the headboard of their new bed.

         Daryl sighed and rolled over. It was a bit of a struggle to sit up with his belly having gotten even bigger, but he managed it. “Now. B’fore ya decide to disappear back to that colony again,” he replied, tone icy.

         Either Rick didn’t pick up on it, or he was ignoring it. “I was thinking, maybe we should have the Hersheypark Colony join us? Become one big community?” He smiled a little. “That way I don’t have to keep leaving, and we’d have a doctor who’s also a vampire here.”

_“Really?_ What kinda plan is that?” Daryl snapped, glaring at Rick. “We still barely know ‘em! Ya want ‘em _here?”_

         Rick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ve been getting to know them while I was there. They seem like good people, Daryl.”

         Daryl was dumbfounded. Rick couldn’t have been getting enough sleep if he was seriously thinking that, just because he’d been meeting with them for two months, that he knew who they were. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, an’ I don’t feel right ‘bout it. ‘Sides, ain’t just my decision anyway. An’ I doubt the others’ll agree with ya.”

         There was a few moments of silence. Rick shook his head, huffing through his nose, and settled into the bed on his side. Facing away from Daryl, effectively shutting him out. It hurt. Daryl didn’t understand why Rick was acting like that; it wasn’t as though Daryl was being unreasonable. Or was he?

         Daryl lied back down and stared up at their ceiling. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes and he quickly wiped them away. Maybe the hormones were making him crazy. That had to be the issue. His mood swings were just finally grating on Rick’s patience. Daryl would apologize in the morning, and hopefully Rick would forgive him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         “I miss Dad,” Judith sighed as she followed Daryl down the path. “He’s never around anymore.”

         Daryl gave her a small smile. “I do too. But he’s doin’ important things. He’s gotta learn how to use his powers. I’ll learn more myself later. That way we can both protect this place even better.”

         Judith shrugged. “You guys are already super strong, and it’s not just you two protectin’ us. He doesn’t need to keep leavin’.”

         She had a point. Daryl wished he could have explained that to Rick, but the man had been avoiding him ever since their disagreement about the Hersheypark Colony. He tugged the brim of his hat further over his eyes, shading them against the sun. It had become more annoying as the pregnancy went on. “Ain’t anythin’ we can do about it right now. Right now, you need to practice yer shootin’.”

         “Okay!” Judith chirped. That seemed to be enough to lift her mood.

         Daryl gave a quiet laugh. “Calm down. Gotta get thing’s ready first.” Once he got the practice targets set up, he handed Judith a pistol. “Alright, show me whatcha got.”

 

         For a while, it worked at distracting them. But they couldn’t practice forever. Eventually they stopped to go eat, and then all their worries came back.

         Judith leaned into Daryl’s side and rested her cheek against his belly. “You don’t think Dad thinks this is replacin’ Carl, do you?”

         He hadn’t, but now he was. Daryl grimaced. “Don’t know why he would. He seemed happy about it...” But maybe Rick had changed his mind. It was too late for that, though, and if that was the reason… Daryl shook his head. If that was the reason, then he wasn’t sure what he’d do.

         “Sorry, I was just thinkin’,” Judith mumbled, sitting up properly to finish the salad Nabila had made for her.

         “Don’t be,” Daryl replied, petting her hair. “It ain’t yer job to worry ‘bout this sorta thing anyway. I’ll deal with it.”

         Judith looked up at him. “But you shouldn’t hafta deal with it on your own,” she said.

         Again Daryl was struck by how mature Judith could be. He smiled and shook his head. “I’ll talk with Carol ‘bout it. That work fer ya?”

         There was a few moments of silence as Judith thought about it. “Yeah, I guess,” she said with a nod.

 

         Daryl found Carol watching Henry working at the blacksmith. It had been up and running for a while now, having been one of the first few necessities. When he stopped beside her, she smiled up at him.

         “Hey there, Pookie,” Carol said with a grin. It faded after a moment. “Is something wrong?”

         Of course she’d pick up on it almost instantly. Daryl sighed. “Yeah, sorta. If it’s a bad time I can wait, though.”

         Carol rolled her eyes. “It’s never a bad time, don’t be silly. What is it?”

         Daryl explained how Rick had been behaving the past week. Saying it all out loud somehow made him feel worse. Like he was making it all real, and not just keeping it in his head. And with his hormones going a little haywire, it was a wonder he didn’t start crying again. Daryl was glad he didn’t have to go through with it for nine months.

         Frowning, Carol crossed her arms. “Oh, something is definitely up,” she said. “Do you want me to talk to him?”

         “Nah,” Daryl replied, shaking his head. “’S fine. Ya don’t gotta do that.”

         “Well then _you_ need to talk to him. You can’t let this issue just sit and stew,” Carol told him. She pulled him down into a hug. “Whatever his problem is, it needs to be addressed. And you’ve done nothing wrong, so don’t you dare think otherwise.”

         Daryl shrugged and hugged her back. “Might be. If I did somethin’ wrong I gotta take responsibility fer it.”

         A huff of annoyance made Carol’s nostrils flare as she pulled back. “I promise you, you did nothing. In any case, if he makes it difficult I _will_ have words with him,” she said, eyes narrowing threateningly. “And really, does he honestly expect everyone to want that group to join us? I admit Maria helped us, and without Teresa, Saddiq would have no idea how to help you with the pregnancy, but that doesn’t mean we need to become one group.”

         “Yeah. It was a weird suggestion,” Daryl muttered. He sighed and chewed on his bottom lip. “I’ll talk to ‘im. Hopefully he’ll stop avoidin’ me long enough that I can.”

 

* * *

 

 

         Charcoal gray clouds rolled over the sun. The leaves rustled on the trees, a quiet warning. A few flecks of rain dropped from the sky and the air felt heavy.

_“Rick!”_ Daryl called for the third time. “Hold up!”

         Finally, Rick stopped walking and turned to face him. His expression was carefully neutral, not giving away any of his thoughts or emotions. “What?” he asked.

         Daryl frowned. “You’ve been avoidin’ me. Why?” There was no point beating around the bush. He wanted answers.

         Rick blinked. “I’ve been busy.”

         “You’ve been busy?” Daryl repeated. “That’s a load’ve bull shit, Rick! I know yer mad at me or somethin’! If ya gotta problem with me, just say it! Ain’t gonna play these _stupid_ games!” He swung his arm angrily as he paced in front of Rick. It had all gone on long enough.

         “You want to know what my problem is?” Rick asked, his expression darkening.

         “’S what I just said!” Daryl snapped.

         “I don’t love you.”

         Daryl opened his mouth to shout. Then shut it again as Rick’s words registered. _“What?”_

         “I don’t love you.” Rick stared at him, eyes cold. “I never did.”

         “But y—”

         “I pitied you,” Rick said, not giving Daryl a chance to say anything. “You getting pregnant was a mistake. I thought I could be with you for the baby, but I can’t.”

         No.

         “How could I? You’re pathetic.”

_No._

         “Why would I want some disgusting redneck? Looking at you makes me sick. You shouldn’t even be able to _get_ pregnant.”

         The words hit Daryl like a physical slap to the face. An invisible hand squeezed his heart until it felt like it was shattering. He watched as Rick turned and walked away.

_Disgusting redneck._

_Looking at you makes me sick._

_I don’t love you._

         Daryl ran after Rick. He didn’t know if it was to yell at him or beg him to tell him that was all a lie, a cruel joke, but he ran.

_“Rick!”_

         Despite his speed, Rick disappeared from sight. Daryl came to a stop by the gates. It had been the direction Rick was heading in. He looked up to where Jerry was stationed. “Hey! Did Rick come this way?”

         Jerry nodded. “We just let him through. He seemed weird, though. Didn’t say thanks or anything like he usually does.”

         So Rick was gone. He hated Daryl so much he was willing to just up and leave. Hot, angry tears spilled down his cheeks. Daryl’s hands clenched into fists. _Fine. Fine!_ Daryl turned and stormed back along the path. If Rick was so disgusted by him, Daryl wouldn’t go running after him like the pathetic mess he apparently was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me too much?


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos! I'm always so happy to learn you all are enjoying this story.

         “If I ever see his face again, I’ll kill him,” Michonne snapped, her arms crossed. Firelight flickered over her, brightening the furious spark in her eyes.

         “Not if I do it first,” Carol said, her glare just as deadly.

         “We could always kill him together,” Michonne suggested, and Carol nodded with a smirk.

         “Deal.”

         Daryl shook his head and continued working on a new set of bolts for his crossbow. “He’s gone. Ain’t no point in goin’ after ‘im just to kill ‘im.” He glanced over at Judith who was sitting nearby looking miserable. “’Sides, don’t think she’d agree with it.”

         “And if I may interject, if anyone should get the honor of putting Rick in the ground, it should be Daryl, as he was the one who was thrown away like a bag of garbage,” Eugene said. He blinked. “No offense meant, of course.”

         The angry conversations had been going on for an hour. Or basically since everyone throughout the community found out about Rick leaving Daryl and them. Judith hadn’t been responding to anyone’s attempts at assuring her he didn’t abandon her as well. Daryl couldn’t blame her. They were empty words, and she knew it.

         Ezekiel stepped forward. “Though what he has said and done is terrible, I must say it seems very out of character for Rick. This doesn’t sound like something he would do.” He sighed and shook his head. “I suppose anyone can snap, but it just feels off.”

         Daryl surged to his feet. “It don’t matter anyway. He ain’t here and that’s that.” He grimaced and sat back down, a wave of dizziness hitting him. “Just…let it go.” If only it were as easy to do as it was to say.

         “We shouldn’t get all worked up,” Carol said, sitting beside him. She rubbed his back. “Stress isn’t good for the baby.”

         “Knock it off. ‘M fine,” Daryl grumbled, though he was grateful for the way his family had backed him up. Without them, he wasn’t sure if he’d be so calm. Or numb. Whatever the term was. It didn’t stop him from missing Rick, though. Didn’t stop the deep ache of sadness that gripped his heart, even if he wanted to pretend he didn’t feel it.

         “Okay, so, whether we kill him or not is still up for debate, but shouldn’t we find out where he’s gone?” Jesus asked, raising an eyebrow.

         Michonne shook her head. “He probably went to the Hersheypark Colony. Question is, what does that mean for us?”

         “That _is_ the question,” Maggie agreed, hands on her hips. “We should see if we can enforce the walls. Just in case.”

         Daryl looked up at her. “You really think Rick would have ‘em attack us?”

         “Dad would never do something like that!” Judith stood, eyes wide and watery. “He wouldn’t...” She turned to Daryl, questioningly.

         “We didn’t think he’d say what he said to Daryl,” Maggie pointed out. At Daryl’s glare she held up her hands. “But you’re right. That doesn’t mean he’d fight us.”

         Judith walked over to Daryl and grabbed onto his hand. “I wanna go home,” she said, looking at the ground.

         “Okay.” Daryl nodded to the others and led Judith to their house. He wasn’t sure he could call it home without Rick. Even if Rick really never loved him, that didn’t just get rid of all of Daryl’s feelings. That would be too easy, of course. Daryl blamed himself, mostly. He should have known it wasn’t real. He wasn’t the type to be loved like that.

         “Papa?”

         Daryl shook himself from his depressing thoughts. “Yeah?” he replied, settling on the couch.

         Judith sat beside him and grabbed his arm, wrapping it around her shoulders so she could cuddle into his side. “Do you…” She blinked a few times and took a steadying breath. “Do you really think Dad has left? Like for good?”

         “Judith...” Daryl sighed and frowned. “I don’t know. Wish I could say yes, but I don’t wanna lie to ya. But I don’t know fer sure.” It probably wasn’t the best response, but he didn’t know what else to say. How was he supposed to comfort her?

         “Oh.” Judith stared at the floor.

         Crap. Daryl chewed on his bottom lip, trying to come up with a way to make it better. There had to be something he could do, or say. He was startled when he felt Judith curl closer.

         “We have each other though. And the baby,” Judith said and looked up at him. “And we have everyone else too. Right?”

         Daryl nodded. “Yeah. We do.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Daryl stood at the top of the tower, watching mist creep along the fields in the night. The others had wanted him to take a break, but that wasn’t something he could do. Not only was he more useful at night, he needed the distraction. With Judith in bed—along with just about everyone else—there was nothing to keep his mind from focusing on Rick. On the pain.

         He rubbed his eyes and wiped at his cheeks. Daryl hadn’t realized he’d been crying. He grit his teeth. _Stop bein’ such a pussy,_ he scolded himself. No wonder Rick couldn’t stand him. Daryl gripped the stones of the tower. He really was pathetic.

         Movement caught his eye.

         Leaning against the stones, Daryl squinted out into the dark.

         Dark shapes spilled out from the trees. Alarmed, Daryl hurried down from the tower. “Wake up! We’re under attack!” he shouted. “Get up!”

         Doors banged open and everyone hurried outside. Daryl continued his warning even as he dashed past them. He needed to get to the gates, make sure those on guard duty were ready. Daryl skidded to a stop at the bottom of the hill.

         The gates were thrown open. Vampires surged through the opening and poured over the walls. Daryl had no issue seeing Rick and Maria leading the charge. But before he could do anything about it, they disappeared within the mass of other vampires.

         What was he supposed to do? Fight Rick? Kill him? Daryl didn’t think Rick would ever do anything like this. He hadn’t thought Rick would do a lot of things. But Daryl knew what _he_ wanted to do.

         Whatever was going on, the blame could be traced back to one person.

         Whatever happened, he was going to kill Maria.

         Daryl snarled and sprinted through the grass, pulling out his knives. He heard the shouts and pounding feet of his family charging down the hill after him. All of them ready to fight. They’d all lost too much to let their home be ripped from them again.

         If he managed to kill the other vampires, Daryl didn’t know or care at that point. He slashed and hacked his way through, trying to find Maria or Rick. Their scents were almost masked. But Daryl could pick them out of the crowd. He’d know them anywhere.

         They were headed away from everyone else. If they kept going… They could circle around back and make another surprise attack. And knowing what Rick could do, that couldn’t happen. It couldn’t.

         Someone grabbed Daryl’s arm and yanked him back. He twisted out of the hold and spun, sinking his knife into the temple of the other vampire. Whether it killed him or not, Daryl didn’t know, but he didn’t stick around to find out.

         Black mist surrounded Daryl, blinding him to his surroundings. Disoriented, he struck out, but the mist solidified and there were arms now wrapped around his neck and shoulders.

         “Should’ve joined us,” a woman growled into his ear.

         Daryl growled. “Fuck off!” He headbutted her in the nose and she yelped. Daryl flipped her over his head and onto the ground. Before she could react he stabbed her through the eye. As he yanked the knife back out, he could see he was nearly away from the main fight. He dodged a swipe to his stomach, fear flaring up inside him at the thought of his baby being harmed. For a moment he wondered if he should stop, retreat, but he quickly got rid of that thought and ran faster.

         There was movement up ahead. Two figures racing for the hill.

         Daryl pushed on. With an extra burst of speed, he lunged and tackled Maria to the ground. She twisted, their air shimmered, and the anaconda slipped from his grasp with a hiss. Daryl jumped back, her jaws clamping down on the air where he’d been seconds before.

         Maria struck at him again, and Daryl stumbled away. Hands grabbed his wrists and struggled to keep Daryl still. With a snarl, he elbowed Rick in the stomach. It didn’t work. He did it again, and slammed his head back against Rick’s face. He was free. Daryl slashed at Maria, but she was too quick, changing into mist form, and then back to human.

         “Someone in your condition shouldn’t be fighting,” Maria said with a sneer as they circled each other. Rick stepped forward, but she held her hand up. He stopped.

         “It ain’t gonna stop me from killin’ you,” Daryl said. It wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.

         Maria smirked. “Is that so? And then what? Will you kill Rick too?”

         Daryl didn’t know what he was going to do about Rick. He couldn’t kill him, but if Rick attacked… Maybe he’d just let it happen. Without Rick, Daryl didn’t know what he’d do. He couldn’t go through that pain again. But the baby...

         Air was punched out of his lungs as Daryl’s back slammed into the ground. His knives skidded across the dirt. Daryl jerked his head to the side, Maria’s fist cracking down right where it had been. He writhed and bucked, jostling her loose and turned to scramble for the knife closest to him.

         A hand on his ankle yanked him back. Daryl’s boot connected with her jaw. He snatched up his knife and rocked back onto his knees. Pain lanced across his cheek as his face smacked into the dirt and rocks. Daryl couldn’t let her win. But his struggles did nothing. She had him truly pinned.

         He went limp in her grasp.

         Maria laughed. “Good. Give up.” She leaned down. Her breath made his skin crawl. “Took you long enough.”

         Daryl swung his hand back, the knife stabbing her in the thigh. She screamed and let go. Daryl rolled them and sliced her neck. Maria fell back and Daryl took her down, pinning her instead. With a feral cry, he jammed the knife into her face.

         Again.

         Again.

         Again.

         Maria had gone still and she was no longer breathing. Her remaining eye stared sightlessly up at the night sky. She was dead.

         Panting, Daryl struggled to his feet. He turned to face Rick, swayed. “You...” he growled. He took a step. His knees buckled, and Daryl collapsed to the ground.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks once again for all the comments and kudos! You guys are so passionate about what's going on, and I'm so flattered. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

         “Is this really necessary?”

         “Yes. It is.”

         “You think we wouldn’t want to be completely sure you aren’t gonna do anything?”

         “It’s not just going to weaken me, but him too.” A sigh. “But fine. Have it your way.”

         Daryl groaned as sunlight bled through his eyelids, filling his vision with red. His body ached and his head throbbed, and he definitely didn’t want to be awake right then. A shadow passed over the light—a relief—and Daryl cracked open an eye. When he wasn’t immediately blinded, he blinked opened both.

         “Daryl!” Carol was the one blocking out the sun as she leaned over him.

         “He’s awake, finally,” Tara sighed. “Good thing for _you.”_

         Turning his head, Daryl was able to see that Tara had been speaking with Teresa. He hissed, struggling to get up and fight, but Carol held him down. He was about to try again, but her expression stopped him.

         “It’s fine, Daryl. The fight is over,” she soothed. “Teresa is staying to help. We’re keeping an eye on her, to make sure she doesn’t hurt you. That, and the sunlight should make sure you have nothing to worry about. I’m sorry that it weakens you too, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

         “What the hell is goin’ on?” Daryl demanded, trying to get a good look at the room. It looked like the “hospital” that had been built not too long ago. He could see a couple of others in the beds across from his. But how had he gotten there? Where was Rick? Daryl bared his teeth and pushed up, only to be stopped again by Carol and Tara.

         Carol shook her head. “A lot happened while you were unconscious. Other than Teresa, Rick, and yourself, there aren’t any more vampires here. Teresa is only allowed to be here until you give birth, and then she agreed to leave. Siddiq doesn’t feel comfortable enough doing it on his own, so, we didn’t have much of a choice.”

         “Rick?” Daryl asked, almost spitting the name out.

         “I think that’s where I can help,” Teresa said, stepping over. She and Carol looked at each other for a tense moment before Carol backed off. Teresa held out a blood bag. “But first you need to eat. You’ve been through a lot, and you and your baby need to keep yourselves strong.”

         At first Daryl wanted to protest, but he was hungry. Starving, actually. He sat up and took the blood bag, opened it, and drank. Sighing, he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth and looked up at Teresa. “So?”

         Teresa perched herself on the end of the bed. “Let me be clear on something; I have nothing against you or Rick. Neither of you were brought up as vampires and clearly these things are new to you. While I’m not pleased about being run from my home—my family being slaughtered—I realize it was _our_ leaders who started this. But I also will be glad to finally leave all of you behind when I go.” She tapped her fingers against her knee. “So. That said, I’m gonna be honest and say that I knew some of Maria’s plans. However, I couldn’t tell you anything. Maria had had a long time to master her abilities. She knew exactly how much control she had over us, with many of us being her Fledglings. Maria made us. Which meant I couldn’t do anything about her plans, even though I thought it was beyond stupid.”

         Daryl gave a slow nod. She didn’t appear to be lying, and he was usually pretty good at sensing that. Usually. But he hadn’t been able to tell Maria was lying to them.

         “Maria’s a master at subtle manipulation. Found out she was the one that had you kidnapped and brought to Jeremy. I suppose she figured that would be the easiest way to start a war and get rid of him so _she_ could take control.” Teresa shook her head. “After getting into your good graces, she neglected to mention one of the most useful abilities vampires possess: hypnosis. And that’s what she used on your Alpha—Rick.”

         Hypnosis. That meant… Rick hadn’t been in control of his actions? But for how long. “How long? How… Rick he…” Daryl bent forward and gripped his hair.

         “After she started teaching you how to use your other abilities,” Teresa explained. “She hoped that if she made Rick break things off with you, that you’d just kill yourself and save her the trouble. Then she’d swoop in and take over this place; make everyone into thralls. When that didn’t happen, Maria ordered us to attack, using Rick to welcome us in.”

         Daryl squeezed his eyes shut. “How much can ya do with hypnosis? Make ‘em say shit they don’t mean?”

         “It depends on how strong the vampire controlling it is. With Maria, I’d say it’s a strong possibility. Weaker vampires can usually only make them do things, physically. Like with human hypnotists. Sometimes they can have their victim repeat phrases they’ve told them to say,” Teresa replied with a shrug.

         So it was possible Rick hadn’t meant what he’d said. But there was also the possibility that he had. Daryl needed to know, one way or the other, so he could finally figure out his feelings and decide what came next. He looked from Teresa to Carol to Tara and back again. “Can I go now?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Rick lifted his head from his hands at the sound of the door creaking open. Rosita peered inside, nodded, and then Judith walked in. Despite her glare, a sense of relief washed over his shoulders. While he had only been locked up in the barn with Rosita and Denise guarding him for a day, he’d begun to worry he’d never get to see his daughter or Daryl. Not that Rick could blame them.

         “You left us,” Judith said, arms crossed. Her eyes were narrowed and her lips were pinched. “Again.”

         “I know.” Rick leaned forward, but didn’t stand from the hay bale. “I know and I’m so, so sorry, sweetheart. From what the others told me… Judith, you’ve gotta believe me when I tell you I wasn’t in control of myself. Maria hypnotized me.”

         Judith looked down at the floor. “That’s what Carol told me. But sometimes you seemed like you and then sometimes you didn’t. How much of that was you? Was it when he didn’t agree with you about those other vampires?” Her voice rose as she took a few steps closer.

         He didn’t know how to answer. Rick didn’t remember much of anything. Still, he shook his head. “Had to have been before that. Some point after Daryl stopped going with me.”

         “Then...” Judith scuffed her foot back and forth. She rushed forward and threw her arms around Rick’s neck. “You don’t hate us? Me?”

         “No! No, never,” Rick said, pulling her close and petting her hair. “I wish I could say more than sorry, but I _am_ sorry.”

         Judith sniffled against his shoulder. “I forgive you. But I don’t know if Papa will.”

         “Thank you.” Rick pulled back and looked his daughter in the eyes. “How is he? After he passed out… Is he alright?”

         “Yeah. I mean, he’s alive. Someone I don’t know went into the hospital, but Tara and Carol were with her, so I guess they’re helping him and the baby,” Judith replied with a shrug.

         A knock at the door interrupted them both and the door to the barn rolled open. “Rick, you’ve got another visitor,” Rosita announced. Though her tone was light, her gaze was still suspicious and it was clear she wasn’t happy with Rick. “Judith...”

         Rick nodded and kissed Judith’s forehead. “Go on. I’ll talk to you again later.” Hopefully. He smiled at her pout and watched her leave, but the sound of a familiar gruff voice outside had Rick sobering quickly.

         Daryl strode through the doors, beautiful gunmetal blue eyes narrowed and his hands curled into fists at his side. Once they doors slid shut, a tense silence spread throughout the room, both of them unsure of who should speak first.

         Standing, Rick carefully approached Daryl. He wanted to just pull him into his arms and apologize over and over, but that would clearly not end well. So he looked Daryl in the eye and nodded. Daryl could have the first words, get whatever he was feeling off his chest, and take however long he needed.

         A huff flared Daryl’s nostrils and he stormed up to Rick. Daryl’s fist collided with Rick’s chest. Hard enough to make Rick flinch. He did it a second, third, forth time. Rick stayed still, allowing Daryl to get it all out of his system. The bruises would heal; Daryl’s pain, however, was another matter entirely.

         Tears spilled from Daryl’s eyes and he grabbed the front of Rick’s shirt. Whether it was to shove him away or pull him closer, neither happened and instead Daryl stood there, shaking.

         “Was any of it true?” Daryl’s voice cracked.

         “Any of what? I’m sorry, Daryl, but I truly don’t remember a thing of what happened,” Rick said, fingers twitching, longing to reach out and give comfort.

         Daryl made a wounded noise in the back of his throat and shook Rick. “Ya said ya never loved me! That I was a freak! _Pathetic!_ Was that true!? Is that how ya really feel ‘bout me?”

_Oh god._ Had Rick said those things? No wonder Daryl was so angry and hurt. He shook his head, hands landing on Daryl’s hunched shoulders. _“No!_ Never! Daryl...” Rick gave in and hauled Daryl against his chest, wrapping his arms around him. “I _love_ you, Daryl. So damn much! You’re amazing, and one of the strongest people I know. None of those things—I was hypnotized. It sounds like an excuse, but it’s true. I would never say those things, because they aren’t true.”

         Sobbing, Daryl collapsed in his embrace.

         “I’m sorry,” Rick whispered, pressing his nose into Daryl’s hair. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

         “I wanna believe ya,” Daryl whimpered. “I do, about bein’ hypnotized. That I believe. But I… I don’t know if I can…About the other stuff...”

         Rick’s heart felt like it was being constricted. “Let me prove it,” he begged. He rubbed Daryl’s back and cradled his head. “Please?”

         For a few heartbreaking seconds, Daryl didn’t respond. Then a shrug. A little nod. “Okay,” Daryl said, voice muffled by Rick’s shoulder.

         “Thank you,” Rick sighed, kissing the top of his head. He would do anything for Daryl. Anything to get him to know that he was one of the most important people in Rick’s life and that he loved him. Rick only wished Marie was still alive so he could kill her again for making Daryl suffer. But that wasn’t an option. So he’d have to hope that spoiling the hell out of Daryl—showering him with affection and words of love—would be enough.


	17. Chapter 17

         Daryl stood on the porch, leaning back against the wall of his house, and watched as everyone worked. He’d attempted to help out—multiple times—but everyone shooed him away, worried about his pregnancy. It was frustrating. And it left him with too much time to think over everything that had happened.

         “You’re not over here pouting, are you?” Carol asked as she approached. She squinted up at him with a smile. “You should take this chance to rest. Once you have a kid you’ll be thinking back on this day and regretting it if you don’t.”

         “Mmm.” Daryl shrugged. “Judith wasn’t too bad. ‘m sure I can handle my own.”

         Carol laughed. “You say that now.” She bumped her shoulder with his. After a moment, she sighed. “Let me guess: you’re worrying about Rick.”

         Of course Carol would know. Not that it was really difficult to guess. Daryl rested a hand on his belly. “I don’t know what to think. He’s givin’ me some space right now, an’ I appreciate it, but…” He shook his head. “Rick said he wants to prove he didn’t mean what he said, but I don’t know how he can. Part of me does believe him, but some part still worries he _did_ mean it. Or might change his mind an’ will mean it later.”

         “I see.” Carol crossed her arms and leaned against the wall beside him. She stood there with him in silence for a bit, before speaking again. “Obviously I can’t tell you what to feel or to believe, but Daryl, you know Rick better than anyone. Has he ever lied to you?”

         Daryl shook his head. He and Rick might’ve had their disagreements, but Rick had never lied to him. It was one of the many reasons he had followed him in the first place, and eventually fallen in love with him. Which was why he was giving him a chance to prove it. Or more like settle Daryl’s insecurities. Which, was that even right to do? It was _his_ issues. Just because he was insecure didn’t mean he should make Rick suffer for it. Right? Honestly, it was all too confusing.

         Carol placed a hand on his arm. “Whatever you decide, you have support. Don’t forget that, Daryl.” She stood on her tip toes and kissed the top of his head, then headed off.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         It was late in the night, almost everyone was asleep, save for a few guards and, of course, Rick and Daryl. Which was why Daryl found himself following Rick to one of the large boulders up on the hill. Moonlight cast a gentle glow over it all.

         “Here we are,” Rick said, coming to a stop and gesturing for Daryl to look at something.

         Daryl walked around him and froze. A blanket was spread out on one of the flat boulders, with a small basket and a few pillows on top. “What is it?” he asked, squinting at Rick in confusion.

         “A picnic,” Rick replied with a half-smile. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sort of. It’s only blood, but… I figured, it’s a nice night and all. And I wanted to do something special.”

         Biting his lower lip, Daryl walked over to the blanket. It was silly, but it was also such a _Rick_ thing to do. To be honest, Daryl never saw the appeal of having a picnic himself. He ate outside most of his life, didn’t need any blankets or silverware or fancy shit. That didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate the thought though.

         Rick moved to his side and held out his hand. “Let me help you down,” he insisted.

         Daryl huffed, but allowed Rick to do so. It was going to be a pain in the ass when he had to get up again. “Thanks,” he muttered, situating himself so he was comfortable. Daryl accepted the blood bag that Rick handed him and gazed out at their camp.

         “You’re beautiful,” Rick murmured with a smile.

         “Huh?”

         Rick chuckled. “I said you’re beautiful,” he repeated. “You always are.”

         Daryl’s cheeks heated and he ducked his head, hiding behind his hair. “Stop. I ain’t.”

         “You are,” Rick insisted, holding Daryl’s hand.

         Of course, Daryl wanted to call bullshit, but when he looked into Rick’s eyes, he couldn’t. Rick was being honest with him. An odd swooping sensation in his stomach was followed by the heating of Daryl’s cheeks and ears. He looked away, but let Rick hold his hand. “Yer crazy.”

         “You’re probably right,” Rick replied, a smile in his voice. “But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Rick rubbed at Daryl’s back, working out the knots and tension that had gathered, as well as just the pain from being pregnant. Of course, Daryl had tried to worm his way out of it by grumbling about being fine, but eventually he’d given in. Probably because he’d been unable to hide a particularly nasty wince as he walked.

         “Feeling any better?” Rick asked.

         “Hm. Yeah. Guess so,” Daryl replied, trying to seem casual. He sounded relaxed, however.

         “Good.” Rick leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Daryl’s neck. Once Daryl was practically slouching where he sat on the couch, Rick slid his arms around his middle and nuzzled him right behind the ear. “Love you.”

         Daryl tipped his head to the side and back against Rick’s shoulder. “Ya mean it?”

         Rick caressed Daryl’s belly and nodded. “Yeah, I mean it. I’ll always mean it.”

         A sigh. Then Daryl placed his hands over Rick’s. “Love ya, too.” He smiled when Rick placed gentle kisses along his neck. “Feel a lot better now. Bein’ pregnant sucks, just so ya know.”

         “I’m sorry,” Rick said with a chuckle.

         “Oh yeah, sound real choked up about it,” Daryl teased. He shifted and turned so that he could properly lean into Rick’s side. “Should be any day now. Don’t know if I want it to be over with already, or if I should be worried ‘bout what it’ll be like. Carol said it hurts like fuck.”

         Rick stroked his hair. “It probably won’t be fun, but I’ll be there with you. You won’t be alone and you can hit me all you like while it happens.”

         “Promise?” Daryl asked with a snort.

         “I might regret it, but yeah,” Rick replied. He remembered how hard Lori had hit him during her labor with Carl. Daryl was not only naturally strong, he had vampiric strength. While Rick had it as well, it didn’t bode well for him. “Everthing’ll be fine, Daryl. We’ll all make sure of it.”

         Daryl sighed—a more contented one than before—and nodded.

         Rick kissed him, and then leaned down to press a kiss to his belly.

         “Cheesy,” Daryl muttered with a smile.

         “Somehow I don’t think you mind,” Rick retorted, brushing his fingers through Daryl’s hair.

         Daryl rolled his eyes and leaned his head on Rick’s shoulder. “Nah. Guess not. Just means ya love me.”

         “That’s right,” Rick replied, pressing kiss to Daryl’s head.

 

 

* * *

 

 

         “If you ever even _think_ of fuckin’ me again, I’ll rip yer damn spine out!” Daryl snarled as another contraction hit. His head thumped back against the cot and he hissed in pain.

         “I’m sorry,” Rick said, sure that his hand was about to shatter from how hard Daryl was gripping it. It was all he really could say. Not that Daryl was paying attention, anyway.

         Siddiq and Teresa were both moving here and there throughout the room getting everything ready to go. Mostly what Teresa needed to numb Daryl so they could do the c-section. She’d managed to find her collection of herbs and medicines back at her place in Hersheypark, and they were supposedly meant to help with this sort of thing. Rick could only hope it was true.

         Teresa walked over and placed a gentle hand on Daryl’s arm. “You know, if you want, I could hypnotize you through this so you won’t feel any pain,” she offered.

         “No!” Daryl snapped, fangs bared. “I ain’t no pussy and I ain’t bein’ hypnotized!”

         “Alright, just thought you should know it was an option,” Teresa said, backing off. She returned with a small bottle. “This here will make you a little tired, which will allow the numbing to happen.”

         Daryl eyed the bottle warily, but when another contraction made him cry out in pain, he snatched the bottle from her and downed it. He handed the empty bottle back to Teresa and looked at Rick. “Yer gonna be here the whole time, right?”

         Rick lifted Daryl’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “Yeah, I will.” Nodding, Daryl relaxed back into the cot. Rick stroked his hair, carefully not looking as Siddiq set up his tools for the c-section.

         “Alright, it should kick in in about a minute,” Teresa said as she spread a bit of the numbing mixture she’d made over Daryl’s belly. “All you have to do is relax, and we’ll take care of the rest.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

         Daryl smiled down at his son, a tiny wrinkled thing that was somehow one of the most beautiful sights he’d ever seen. It was too early to tell who he’d resemble more, but he hoped their son would take after Rick. He felt so...sappy Still, he was happier than he could really ever remember being.

         “You did so good, Daryl,” Rick said, rumbling softly as he kissed Daryl’s cheek and gently stroked his son’s head.

         “Didn’t do shit but lay here,” Daryl protested, though he couldn’t stop smiling.

         “Don’t swear in front of the baby,” Judith scolded as she wriggled her way between Rick and the bed to get a good look at her little brother. “You said I get to name him, right?”

         Rick chuckled. “We did say that,” he replied as Daryl gave a little nod.

         Judith’s expression was determined as she looked down at the baby. “I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.” She glanced up at Rick and then to Daryl. “I like the name Jack.”

         Daryl gave a quiet huff. “Jack an’ Judy, huh? I think it works. Rick?”

         “I agree, it’s a good name,” Rick said, resting his hand on Judith’s head. “Good job.”

         Judith beamed at them. “Nice to meet you, Jack. I’m your big sister, and I’m gonna take real good care of you,” she said, placing her finger in Jack’s little fist.

         Jack blinked up at her and cooed. Judith’s smile widened even more. She looked up at Rick. “Everybody’s been waiting to see him! Can I go get them?”

         “Go ahead,” Rick replied.

         Daryl kissed Jack’s nose and smiled at his soft whine. “They’re gonna be trouble when he gets older,” he said.

         “I don’t doubt it,” Rick laughed.

         When Judith came back, it was with nearly everyone in the community.

         “Amazing,” Carol said, smiling as she stopped by Daryl’s side.

         “He’s adorable,” Maggie added.

         “Very cute,” Michonne agreed.

         Tara nodded. “Kind of wrinkly though. But still super cute, of course!”

         “Ya wanna hold ‘im?” Daryl asked Carol.

         Carol laughed. “Do you even need to ask?” She carefully took Jack from Daryl and smiled down at him. “Judy said his name is Jack?”

         “Yep.”

         “I’m already betting he’ll be handful,” Ezekiel remarked with a grin, watching as Jack was passed around. Despite that, Jack seemed to take being fawned over really well. Until he fell asleep, and he was returned to Daryl’s arms.

         Eventually everyone filtered out, and it was just Rick, Daryl, Judith, and Jack.

         Rick sat on the edge of the cot, Judith settling beside him, and leaned over to give Daryl a gentle kiss. “I love you. You, Judith, Jack… y’all mean the world to me.”

         Daryl let Rick curl their fingers together and nodded. “I love ya, too. All of ya.” Honestly, he was a little overwhelmed. It was good, though. Nice. He’d never thought he’d have all this, or be so happy. Daryl had his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end folks! I know it took a while, and I'm sorry. I just really wanted it to be a good ending, but I can only agonize over it for so long. Hopefully you all enjoyed this story!


End file.
